NOXXON Presents Latest Clinical Data From the Phase 1/2 NOX-A12 / Keytruda® Combination Trial in Colorectal and Pancreatic Cancer at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting 2020
Regulatory News:
NOXXON Pharma N.V. (Paris:ALNOX) (Euronext Growth Paris: ALNOX), a biotechnology company focused on improving cancer treatments by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), announced today the presentation of the latest clinical results from the Phase 1/2 study with CXCL12 inhibitor, NOX-A12, and pembrolizumab in patients with microsatellite-stable, metastatic colorectal or pancreatic cancer at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting 2020. The data were presented in a short video with commentary by the first author, Dr. Niels Halama, from the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg, Germany.
The data indicate that treatment with NOX-A12 plus pembrolizumab in the combination therapy part of the study resulted in stable disease in 25% of patients and prolonged time on treatment vs. prior therapy for 35% of patients. The safety profile of the combination therapy was consistent with that of pembrolizumab in advanced cancer patients. Comparison of tumor biopsies from before and after NOX-A12 monotherapy showed a trend towards agglomeration of T cells within tumors in about half of the patients where NOX-A12 had induced a Th1-type cytokine response. This agglomeration was accompanied by reduced distances between T cells and cancer cells, suggesting increased infiltration of effector immune cells into tumor tissue and a more effective immune response.
“Based on the fact that these indications have so far remained unaffected by checkpoint inhibitors, the outcome of this trial emphasizes the real potential NOX-A12 has on targeting the tumor microenvironment and enabling the intended mode of action of pembrolizumab,” said Aram Mangasarian, CEO of NOXXON. “These results provide a strong rationale for moving this program forward into a larger scale randomized trial with a less-advanced patient population, an opportunity we intend to pursue with a partner.”
“As a clinician who has worked with colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients, the data provide signals that support the potential impact of the combination of NOX-A12 with pembrolizumab, which is a significant step for these cancers with extremely limited options,” commented Dr. Jarl Ulf Jungnelius, CMO of NOXXON.
Access to AACR Virtual Annual Meeting 2020 is freely available upon registration. NOXXON’s abstract and a short video with commentary (presentation CT117) are now available online in the Virtual Poster Session section VPO.CT01 on the AACR website, as well as on the NOXXON website.
About NOXXON
NOXXON’s oncology-focused pipeline acts on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer immunity cycle by breaking the tumor protection barrier and blocking tumor repair. By neutralizing chemokines in the tumor microenvironment, NOXXON’s approach works in combination with other forms of treatment to weaken tumor defenses against the immune system and enable greater therapeutic impact. Building on extensive clinical experience and safety data, the lead program NOX-A12 has delivered top-line data from a Keytruda® combination trial in metastatic colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients and further studies are being planned in these indications. In September 2019 the company initiated an additional trial with NOX-A12 in brain cancer in combination with radiotherapy. The combination of NOX-A12 and radiotherapy has been granted orphan drug status in the US and EU for the treatment of certain brain cancers. The company’s second clinical-stage asset NOX-E36 is a Phase 2 TME asset targeting the innate immune system. NOXXON plans to test NOX‑E36 in patients with solid tumors both as a monotherapy and in combination. Further information can be found at: www.noxxon.com
Keytruda® is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp
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