Apollomics Shares Vebreltinib Data in NSCLC with METex14 at ESMO 2024

Apollomics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, recently revealed promising data on its drug candidate, vebreltinib, at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The company, focused on developing treatments for challenging and resistant cancers, showcased vebreltinib's efficacy and safety in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with METex14 skipping mutations.

The company's CEO, Dr. Guo-Liang Yu, highlighted the significance of vebreltinib's performance, noting its effectiveness in both treatment-naïve and previously treated NSCLC patients, even with prolonged treatment periods. Dr. Yu pointed out that vebreltinib demonstrated substantial efficacy irrespective of MET amplification, achieving an impressive overall response rate (ORR) of up to 67% in patients with MET gene copy number (GCN) below four, outperforming other MET inhibitors.

The data was drawn from two ongoing trials: the global Phase 2 SPARTA-II trial and the Phase 2/3 KUNPENG trial in China, conducted in partnership with Avistone. The analysis included 108 NSCLC patients with METex14 skipping mutations who had not been previously treated with MET inhibitors. This cohort comprised 72 treatment-naïve and 36 previously treated patients, all of whom received 200 mg of vebreltinib twice daily over a 28-day cycle, with 12 months of follow-up data.

In treatment-naïve patients, vebreltinib achieved a 66.7% ORR, with a median duration of response (DOR) of 17.3 months and a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 13.8 months. For previously treated patients, the ORR was 61.1%, with a median DOR of 16.7 months and a median PFS of 7.4 months. Among the 91 patients with available GCN data, the response rates were consistent across subgroups, including those with lower GCN, aligning with data from other studies such as AACR project GENIE and cBioportal.

The presentation also noted that treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) of grade 3 or higher occurred in 48.1% of patients, with edema being the most common severe event at 16.7%. Importantly, no patients died due to these adverse events.

Vebreltinib, also known as APL-101, is a highly selective, orally bioavailable c-MET inhibitor. It targets the HGF/c-MET pathway, which plays a crucial role in tumor growth and resistance to certain therapies. Preclinical studies have shown vebreltinib's strong tumor inhibitory effects across various cancer models, including gastric, hepatic, pancreatic, and lung cancers.

Apollomics is advancing vebreltinib's development through the SPARTA global clinical trial, registered under NCT03175224. The company is exploring vebreltinib both as a standalone treatment and in combination with other therapies. While it has received conditional approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), it remains under clinical investigation elsewhere.

Apollomics Inc. is dedicated to discovering and developing oncology therapies that can be integrated with other treatments to enhance the immune system's ability to target cancer. Apart from vebreltinib, the company is also developing uproleselan (APL-106), which is in various stages of clinical trials for treating acute myeloid leukemia and other hematologic cancers.

The presentation and additional details on vebreltinib and Apollomics' research can be found on the company's website under the Presentations section of the News and Events page.