SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - RAPT Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAPT), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in immunology-based treatments, has revealed promising data from its phase 2 trial involving tivumecirnon in combination with pembrolizumab for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The findings, presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, showed an overall response rate (ORR) of 15.6% across all patients, with higher rates in specific subsets.
Patients with PD-L1 positive disease exhibited an ORR of 17.4%, while those with HPV positive disease had an ORR of 22.2%. These rates are particularly noteworthy given the typical ORR of less than 5-10% for anti-PD-1 monotherapy in similar patient populations. The median duration of treatment for responders was 19.6 months at the time of data cutoff.
The trial included 32 patients with HNSCC who had previously experienced disease progression despite treatment with checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy. Tivumecirnon, an oral CCR4 antagonist, was administered in conjunction with pembrolizumab. Notably, 69% of the patients had undergone three or more prior lines of treatment.
According to Brian Wong, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of RAPT, the results are encouraging and add to the growing body of evidence supporting tivumecirnon's efficacy across various oncology indications. The drug has been well-tolerated in over 350 patients treated to date, without increased immune-related toxicity.
The ongoing Phase 1/2 study is evaluating tivumecirnon as both monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with Treg and CCR4 pathway-enriched tumors. It is being conducted at several leading cancer centers in the United States, Australia, and Asia.
Tivumecirnon is designed to block regulatory T cells from migrating into tumors, potentially restoring natural antitumor immunity and synergizing with other treatments. RAPT Therapeutics continues to explore the drug's development pathway in light of these findings.
The information in this article is based on a press release statement from RAPT Therapeutics.
InvestingPro Insights
As RAPT Therapeutics continues to make strides in the development of tivumecirnon, the financial health and market performance of the company provide a backdrop to its scientific endeavors. Notably, RAPT holds a market capitalization of $293.01 million, reflecting investor valuation of the company in the current market climate. Despite the challenges often faced by biopharmaceutical companies in advancing drug candidates through clinical trials, RAPT maintains a Price to Book ratio (as of the last twelve months ending Q4 2023) of 1.97, which can offer insights into how the market values the company's assets relative to its share price.
Investors tracking RAPT's stock have witnessed significant price volatility over recent months, with a 66.48% decline in the three-month price total return. This underscores an InvestingPro Tip that RAPT's stock generally trades with high price volatility, a factor that risk-averse investors might consider. Furthermore, the company's financials reveal a substantial operating loss of $127.06 million over the last twelve months as of Q4 2023, highlighting the challenges in balancing research and development costs against revenue generation in the biopharmaceutical sector.
For those considering an investment in RAPT Therapeutics, two InvestingPro Tips may be particularly relevant: the company holds more cash than debt on its balance sheet, which can be a sign of financial stability, and analysts have revised their earnings upwards for the upcoming period, suggesting potential optimism about the company's future performance. It's worth noting that there are many additional tips available on InvestingPro, which can be accessed with a subscription. Use the coupon code PRONEWS24 for an additional 10% off a yearly or biyearly Pro and Pro+ subscription to gain further insights into RAPT Therapeutics and other investment opportunities.
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