NuCana Halts Phase 2 Due to Unlikely Endpoint Success
Chemotherapy biotech firm NuCana experienced a significant decline in its stock price, with shares dropping nearly 50% in premarket trading on Friday. This sharp decrease followed the company's announcement on Thursday that it had halted a Phase 2 clinical trial due to unsatisfactory results.
The trial in question was assessing the effectiveness of NUC-3373, NuCana's investigational drug derived from a common chemotherapy agent, in combination with leucovorin, irinotecan, and bevacizumab. This combination treatment was being tested on patients with second-line colorectal cancer. However, a preliminary analysis revealed that it was unlikely to meet the primary goal of improving progression-free survival when compared to the control group. The control group was receiving a standard treatment of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and bevacizumab.
The trial’s chair, Josep Tabernero, explained that although NUC-3373 is chemically related to 5-fluorouracil, it is a new chemical entity designed to be safer and easier to use. NuCana has claimed that NUC-3373 produces higher concentrations of active anti-cancer metabolites and offers a better safety profile than 5-fluorouracil. Despite these promising attributes, the trial did not yield the expected outcomes.
Tabernero expressed disappointment, stating that the trial’s ambitious goal was based on strong preclinical and clinical data. He noted that the study team was deeply disappointed by the results.
NuCana’s CEO, Hugh Griffith, addressed the impact of the trial’s discontinuation. He emphasized that this outcome would not affect other ongoing studies involving NUC-3373. Specifically, there are trials where NUC-3373 is being tested in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in solid tumors and with docetaxel in lung cancer patients.
Griffith also highlighted the company’s excitement about another novel agent, NUC-7738. This drug substantially affects gene expression in cancer cells and targets various aspects of the tumor microenvironment. NUC-7738 is currently undergoing a Phase 2 trial, where it is being evaluated as both a monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with melanoma.
In summary, despite the setback with NUC-3373, NuCana remains optimistic about its ongoing research and development efforts, particularly involving NUC-7738. The company continues to focus on innovating cancer treatments and advancing its clinical trials to improve patient outcomes.
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