Oct 6 (Reuters) – ArriVent BioPharma said on Tuesday its oral therapy to treat patients with a rare type of lung cancer did not meet the main goal of delaying disease progression in a late-stage trial, sending shares down 63% in premarket trading.
The therapy, firmonertinib, was tested in previously untreated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and a genetic alteration called EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation that can fuel cancer growth.
The mutation occurs in roughly 0.5% to 1% of all NSCLC cases. NSCLC accounts for about 85% of all lung cancer cases.
In the trial, a 240-milligram dose of Arrivent’s therapy extended median progression-free survival to 11 months versus 9.5 months with chemotherapy, as assessed by independent reviewers.
CEO Bing Yao said the improvement in progression-free survival – a measure of time patients lived without the disease worsening or spreading – was not meaningful.
“These disappointing results are not what we hoped for, particularly for the patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion-mutant NSCLC who urgently need more effective treatment options.”
Yao said the company is evaluating the full dataset to determine the most appropriate development path for firmonertinib.
No new safety signals were identified in the trial, ArriVent said.
The therapy is approved in China for NSCLC patients with certain mutations.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Leroy Leo)
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