Hutchmed China launches two cancer treatment trials

(Sharecast News) - Hutchmed China announced the start of two significant clinical trials on Tuesday, aimed at addressing critical unmet needs in cancer treatment. The AIM-traded firm first announced the launch of a phase two and three trial evaluating the efficacy of a combination therapy for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in collaboration with Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals.

It said the trial would focus on assessing the potential of surufatinib, camrelizumab, nab-paclitaxel, and gemcitabine as a first-line treatment.

Hutchmed described PDAC as a highly aggressive form of cancer with a dismal five-year survival rate, which affected over 90% of pancreatic cancer cases globally.

The trial aimed to enrol patients who had not undergone prior systemic anti-tumour therapy and would assess endpoints such as overall survival, objective response rate, and safety parameters.

"Emerging data including those from an investigator-initiated study presented at the ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium demonstrated that combinations of surufatinib, camrelizumab and chemotherapy have promising efficacy in comparison with existing chemotherapy-based treatments in metastatic PDAC," said Hutchmed's chief executive and chief scientific officer, Dr Weiguo Su.

"We hope that this partnership will enable us to bring new, potentially life-changing treatment options to patients."

In the second announcement, Hutchmed unveiled the start of the 'RAPHAEL' phase three trial for HMPL-306 in patients with mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 or 2 relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

It said HMPL-306, a dual-inhibitor of IDH1 and IDH2 enzymes, targets mutations implicated in various malignancies.

The trial was designed to evaluate its safety and efficacy as a monotherapy against current salvage chemotherapy regimens.

With mutations in IDH1 and IDH2 identified as drivers of AML and other cancers, HMPL-306 presented a promising approach to overcome acquired resistance to single IDH inhibitors, Hutchmed explained.

At 1244 BST Hutchmed China shares were down 1.14% at 346p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.