Phase 1/1b open-label, dose-escalation study of fruquintinib in patients with advanced solid tumors in the United States.

This open-label, phase 1/1b study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (PK) of fruquintinib in United States (U.S.) patients to confirm the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) established in China. Patients with advanced solid tumors who had progressed on approved systemic therapy, were enrolled into 2 successive dose escalation cohorts, fruquintinib 3 mg (n = 7) or 5 mg (n = 7), orally, once daily (QD), 3 weeks on and 1 week off (3/1) with a 3 + 3 design followed by a dose expansion cohort at the RP2D 5 mg dose (n = 6). PK samples were collected on Days 1, 14, and 21 (Cycle 1). One of 6 dose-limiting toxicity (DLT)-evaluable patients in the 3 mg cohort had a DLT of grade 4 hypertension; there were no DLTs in the 5 mg cohort. The RP2D was confirmed to be 5 mg QD 3/1. All 20 patients experienced a treatment-emergent adverse event; grade ≥ 3 in 5 (71.4%; 3 mg dose) and 12 (92.3%; 5 mg dose) patients. Two patients had a confirmed partial response. After single and multiple doses, median peak plasma concentrations occurred at 2 h post-dose. Steady-state was achieved after 14 days of QD dosing with systemic exposure four-fold higher than that after a single dose. Fruquintinib was well tolerated, and the safety and PK profile at the 5 mg RP2D in U.S. patients with advanced solid tumors was consistent with dose-finding studies in China. Preliminary anticancer activity was observed. This study is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03251378.

Extended dosing with CC-486 (oral azacitidine) in patients with myeloid malignancies.

CC-486 (oral azacitidine) is an epigenetic modifier in clinical development for treatment of hematological cancers. This study of extended CC-486 dosing included patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). After a pharmacokinetic assessment period, 31 patients (MDS n = 18, CMML n = 4, and AML n = 9) entered a clinical phase in which they received CC-486 300 mg once-daily for 21 days of repeated 28-day cycles. Median age was 71 years (range: 53-93); 42% of patients were aged ≥75 years. A total of 5 patients with AML (63%) had prior MDS. Median number of CC-486 treatment cycles was 4 (range: 1-32). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were gastrointestinal (84% of patients) and hematologic (81%). Most common grade 3-4 TEAEs were neutropenia (n = 13, 42%) and anemia (n = 9, 29%). Ten patients experienced grade 4 neutropenia. Infrequently, CC-486 dose was interrupted or reduced due to gastrointestinal (n = 5, 16%) or hematologic (n = 6, 19%) TEAEs. Overall response rate (complete remission [CR], CR with incomplete hematological recovery [CRi], partial remission [PR], marrow CR) in the MDS/CMML subgroups was 32% and in the AML subgroup (CR/CRi/PR) was 22%. Red blood cell transfusion independence rates in the MDS/CMML and AML subgroups were 33% and 25%, respectively, and 2 MDS/CMML patients attained hematologic improvement as a best response on-study. No baseline gene mutation was predictive of response/nonresponse. CC-486 allows flexible dosing and schedules to improve tolerability or response. Neutropenia in early treatment cycles deserves scrutiny and may warrant initiation of prophylactic antibiotics. KEY POINTS: The safety profile of oral CC-486 was comparable to that of injectable azacitidine; most adverse events were hematological and gastrointestinal. Extended (21-day/cycle) CC-486 dosing induced responses in patients with hematological malignancies, many of whom had prior DNMTi failure.

Randomized phase II placebo controlled study of codrituzumab in previously treated patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Codrituzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against Glypican-3 (GPC3) that is expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), interacts with CD16/FcγRIIIa and triggers antibody-dependent cytotoxicity. Codrituzumab was studied vs. placebo in a randomized phase II trial in advanced HCC patients who had failed prior systemic therapy. METHODS: Patients with advanced HCC who had failed prior systemic therapy, ⩾18years, Eastern cooperative oncology group (ECOG) 0-1, Child-Pugh A were randomized 2:1 to biweekly codrituzumab 1600mg vs. placebo. Patients were stratified based on GPC3 immunohistochemical expression: 2+/3+, 1+, and 0. Primary endpoint was progression free survival. Secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS), tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and an exploratory endpoint in biomarkers analysis. RESULTS: 185 patients were enrolled: 125 received codrituzumab and 60 placebo: Median age 64/63, 85/75% male, 46/42% Asian, ECOG 0 65/63%, 74/77% having vascular invasion and/or extra-hepatic metastasis. 84%/70% had prior sorafenib. Drug exposure was 98.4% of planned dose, with an identical adverse events profile between the 2 groups. The median progression free survival and overall survival in the codrituzumab vs. placebo groups in months were: 2.6 vs. 1.5 (hazard ratios 0.97, p=0.87), and 8.7 vs. 10 (hazard ratios 0.96, p=0.82). Projected Ctrough at cycle 3day 1 based exposure, high CD16/FcγRIIIa on peripheral immune cells, and GPC3 expression in the tumor, were all associated with prolonged progression free survival and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Codrituzumab did not show clinical benefit in this previously treated HCC population. Whether higher codrituzumab drug exposure or the use of CD16 and GPC3 as potential biomarkers would improve outcome remain unanswered questions. LAY SUMMARY: Codrituzumab is a manufactured antibody against a liver cancer protein called glypican-3. In this clinical trial, codrituzumab was not found be effective against liver cancer. It was suggested though that a higher dose of codrituzumab or selecting patients with high level of glypican-3 or its mediator CD16 might improve outcome. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01507168).

CC-486 (oral azacitidine) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes with pretreatment thrombocytopenia.

Thrombocytopenia is among the strongest predictors of decreased survival for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) across all prognostic risk groups. The safety and efficacy of CC-486 (oral azacitidine) was investigated in early-phase studies; we assessed clinical outcomes among subgroups of MDS patients from these studies, defined by presence or lack of pretreatment thrombocytopenia (≤75 × 109/L platelet count). Patients received CC-486 300 mg once-daily for 14 or 21 days of repeated 28-day cycles. Overall, 81 patients with MDS, median age 72 years, comprised the Low Platelets (n = 45) and High Platelets (n = 36) cohorts. Pretreatment median platelet counts were 34 × 109/L and 198 × 109/L, respectively. Grade 3-4 bleeding events occurred in 2 patients in the Low Platelets and 1 patient in the High Platelets groups; events resolved without sequelae. Treatment-related mortality was reported for 7 patients, 5 of whom had pretreatment platelet values <25 × 109/L. Overall response rates were 38% and 46% in the Low Platelets and High Platelets groups, respectively. Five thrombocytopenic patients attained complete remission and 9 attained platelet hematologic improvement. In both cohorts, platelet counts dropped during the first CC-486 treatment cycle, then increased thereafter. Extended CC-486 dosing was generally well tolerated and induced hematologic responses in these patients regardless of pretreatment thrombocytopenia.