2025 – Page 49 – 1stOncology™: Cancer Intelligence Service

GSK’227, a B7-H3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, granted Orphan Drug Designation in small-cell lung cancer by the US FDA

On December 10, 2025 GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) reported that its B7-H3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate GSK’227, now referred to by its International Nonproprietary Name, risvutatug rezetecan, has received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The ODD was supported by preliminary clinical data showing durable responses in patients with extensive stage SCLC (ES-SCLC) who were treated with risvutatug rezetecan in the phase I ARTEMIS-001 clinical trial.1

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In the US, SCLC constitutes about 13% of all lung cancers. In 2025, an estimated 29,500 people in the US will be diagnosed with SCLC.2 Of patients with SCLC, 70% have extensive-stage disease, meaning the cancer has spread throughout one or both lungs and/or to other parts of the body.3 ES-SCLC is an aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer with limited treatment options. The 5-year survival rate is approximately 3%.3 Most patients with ES-SCLC relapse after initial treatment and the median overall survival with standard-of-care treatments for relapsed ES-SCLC is approximately 8 months.4

This designation follows the recent announcement that risvutatug rezetecan was granted ODD from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma, a category of cancer that includes SCLC. It is the fifth regulatory designation for risvutatug rezetecan, exemplifying the potential of this B7-H3-targeted ADC, which is being developed in a range of solid tumours, including lung, prostate and colorectal cancers. Previously, risvutatug rezetecan was granted Priority Medicines (PRIME) Designation by the EMA for relapsed or refractory ES-SCLC and Breakthrough Therapy Designations for relapsed or refractory ES-SCLC and relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma granted by the US FDA.5,6,7

About risvutatug rezetecan
Risvutatug rezetecan (GSK5764227) is a novel investigational B7-H3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate composed of a fully human anti-B7-H3 monoclonal antibody covalently linked to a topoisomerase inhibitor payload. GSK acquired exclusive worldwide rights (excluding China’s mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) from Hansoh Pharma to progress clinical development and commercialisation of risvutatug rezetecan. GSK’s global phase III trial (NCT07099898) for risvutatug rezetecan in relapsed ES-SCLC began in August 2025.

(Press release, GlaxoSmithKline, DEC 10, 2025, View Source [SID1234661344])

GENFIT: GNS561 Shows Promising Antitumor Activity in Combination Therapy

On December 10, 2025 GENFIT (Euronext: GNFT), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare and life-threatening liver diseases, reported encouraging preliminary Phase 1b data from its CCA clinical trial evaluating GNS561 in combination.

Clinical trial context and objective
CCA is a rare and aggressive cancer of the bile ducts, often diagnosed at an advanced stage. The unmet medical need is characterized by strong limitations in current treatments and poor prognosis. GNS561 is an investigational small molecule that targets PPT1, leading to autophagy inhibition and lysosomal dysfunction, which disrupt cancer cell survival mechanisms. By blocking autophagy, GNS561 aims to promote cancer cell death and may enhance sensitivity to other treatments. Combining GNS561 with a MEKi aims to unlock synergistic potential by simultaneously targeting autophagy and MAPK signaling pathways. In the on-going Phase 1b study, patients with advanced KRAS mutated CCA who have previously failed one or two lines of prior standard of care therapies are enrolled to evaluate the safety and tolerability of GNS561 when given in combination with trametinib, a MEKi, and to identify the recommended doses of the combination to be administered in Phase 2.

Preliminary results
The analysis evaluated 9 patients with measurable disease at baseline, 4 of them reaching tumor assessment at week 6. At this point, the combination therapy demonstrated:

Disease stabilization observed in all 4 evaluated patients, who had all shown disease progression during previous treatment;
Tumor shrinkage in a subgroup of patients with the best response showing a 20% reduction approaching the partial response (PR) threshold.
Achieving disease control and tumor reduction in such heavily pretreated patient population with advanced CCA is a significant signal of antitumor activity.

Clinical Impact

The results to date show a potential to address a critical unmet medical need in oncology. Patients with advanced solid tumors who have progressed on multiple prior therapies have limited treatment options and poor prognoses. The ability of the investigational drug GNS561 associated with a MEKi to achieve disease control in this challenging patient population would represent a significant advance. The consistent pattern of disease stabilization observed across all evaluated patients, combined with objective tumor shrinkage in a subgroup of heavily pretreated patients, suggests the combination has the potential to provide meaningful clinical benefit. Optimization of dosing and patient selection could lead to further improvement in response rates.

Dr. Mark Yarchoan, Associate Professor of Oncology at John Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA), principal investigator of the program, commented: "Advanced KRAS-mutated cholangiocarcinoma remains a formidable clinical challenge, and the emerging activity seen in this initial study is encouraging. Because MEK inhibition alone has historically shown limited efficacy in this setting, the early signs of benefit with dual targeting of autophagy and MAPK signaling provide meaningful rationale for continued evaluation of this combination strategy."

Pascal Prigent, Chief Executive Officer of GENFIT, added: "These early results suggest a potential breakthrough for patients with limited options, and we are committed to advancing this program rapidly to individuals impacted by cholangiocarcinoma. We will also explore GNS561 potential in combination with other agents and in other tumors where autophagy inhibition plays a central role."

Next development steps

Phase 1b dose escalation will continue as planned to confirm the activity signal, with new data for the next patient cohorts expected in 1Q26. These results will be used to establish the recommended Phase 2 combination doses, with completion expected in 1H26. Phase 2 initiation is targeted for 2H26.

(Press release, Genfit, DEC 10, 2025, https://ir.genfit.com/news-releases/news-release-details/genfit-gns561-shows-promising-antitumor-activity-combination [SID1234661343])

BriaCell Presents Outstanding Phase 2 Survival & Promising Phase 3 Clinical Data at SABCS® 2025

On December 10, 2025 BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (Nasdaq: BCTX, BCTXW) (TSX: BCT) ("BriaCell" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops novel immunotherapies to transform cancer care, reported positive Phase 2 survival, and Phase 3 biomarker data across three clinical posters at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS ) taking place December 9-12, 2025 at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market Street, San Antonio, Texas.

"We are very excited to see the robust and positive biomarker data, which may enable us to more confidently predict clinical responses in patients treated with the Bria-IMT regimen early in their treatment course," stated Kelly E. McCann, MD, PhD, breast medical oncologist at UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and lead investigator at UCLA for the Bria-ABC pivotal Phase 3 study. "These biomarkers could serve as highly valuable tools for clinicians, helping them inform treatment decisions for metastatic breast cancer, a complex disease in which many patients have limited or no remaining treatment options."

"BriaCell’s data shows the promise of the Bria-IMT regimen to address major unmet needs in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, including in patients with CNS metastasis who have progressed on several lines of therapy – median 6 prior treatments," stated Chaitali S. Nangia, MD, Partner, Hoag Medical Group and first author of the poster.

"Our findings support further evaluation of cytokine and chemokine biomarkers as potential predictors of survival and clinical benefit with our Bria-IMT regimen, establishing a path towards more personalized therapeutic strategies in metastatic breast cancer patients with limited treatment options," commented Miguel A. Lopez-Lago, PhD, BriaCell’s Chief Scientific Officer.

The details of the poster presentations are listed below.

Late-Breaking Abstract Number: 3688
Presentation Number: PS1-13-22
Presentation Title: Impact of Prior Therapy, Genotype Matching, and Biomarkers in the Bria-ABC Phase 3 Trial
Poster Presentation Date/Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM CST

Summary
In BriaCell’s pivotal Phase 3 study in metastatic breast cancer, patients are randomized 1:1:1 to receive Bria-IMT plus an immune check point inhibitor (CPI), Bria-IMT monotherapy or Treatment of Physician’s Choice (TPC). A pooled interim analysis of 116 patients with available MHC subtyping and median 6 prior lines of therapy assessed safety, biomarker correlations and progression-free-survival (PFS) per imaging. All data remains blinded to date.

Key Findings

Favorable safety profile: The Bria-IMT regimen was well tolerated with no treatment-related discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs). The most common AEs were fatigue, anemia, and nausea and were predominantly low grade.
Early PFS signals by subtype: Median PFS values appeared highest in patients with HR+/HER2- disease (3.7 months) and HER2-Low disease (3.9 months).
Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as a potential predictive biomarker: Consistent with findings from the Phase 2 study , the Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) continues to show potential as a biomarker of clinical benefit. Patients with favorable NLR of 0.7 – 2.3 demonstrated longer PFS with a median of 4.4 months vs 2.6 months in those with NLR <0.7 or >2.3.
Conclusion
Biomarkers previously associated with PFS and overall survival (OS) in BriaCell’s phase 2 study continue to show a direct relationship with PFS in this ongoing phase 3 study. Further analysis is planned as enrolment progresses, and as OS data mature.

Late-Breaking Abstract Number: 3713
Presentation Number: PS1-13-23
Presentation Title: Survival Results of Phase II Bria-IMT Allogenic Whole Cell-Based Cancer Vaccine
Poster Presentation Date/Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM CST

The data analysis of Phase 1/2 study evaluating the Bria-IMT regimen in combination with an anti–PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) in 54 metastatic breast cancer is presented below. Six patients had Central Nervous System (CNS) metastasis.

Summary
Positive Delayed Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) may be key predictor of clinical benefit as median overall survival (OS) was significantly (P=0.0001) higher in patients who were DTH+ (11.3 months) vs those who were DTH- (4.7 months).

In four evaluable patients with CNS metastasis, best clinical benefit Rate (CBR) including complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease (SD) in patients was 100% in HER2+ patients, 100% in HR+ patients, 50% in patients with TNBC, and 75% overall.

Conclusion
Maturing positive Phase 2 data continue to support the potentially meaningful clinical benefit of the Bria-IMT regimen and the ongoing pivotal Phase 3 study is further evaluating this immunotherapy and the role of biomarkers in predicting patient response.

Abstract Number: 1614
Presentation Number: PS2-09-03
Presentation Title: Th1-biased cytokine signatures as biomarkers of clinical benefit following SV-BR-1-GM cancer vaccination in breast cancer.
Poster Presentation Date/Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM CST

Analysis of 35 different blood cytokines/chemokines from 30 patients enrolled in the Phase 1/2 studies of Bria-IMT alone or in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI).

Summary

Bria-IMT immunotherapy produced Th1 biased cytokine and chemokine changes consistent with immune activation suggesting their use as potential biomarkers to predict clinical responses of cancer patients to Bria-IMT regimen.
Patients with Stable Disease (SD) or PR (Partial Response) showed significantly higher levels of immune activating factors including IL-2, IL-15, IL-27, TNF-α, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL13, CCL26, and IL-17Apost-treatment, suggesting enhanced T-cell activation and pro-inflammatory signaling.
No induction of Th2- or regulatory-associated cytokines was observed suggesting that the Bria-IMT regimen did not suppress immune activation.
Elevated post-treatment levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and MCP-4 were associated with better Overall Survival (OS).
Conclusion
BriaCell’s data suggests that Th1 biased cytokines and chemokines may serve as potential predictive biomarkers of clinical responses to the Bria-IMT regimen in metastatic breast cancer.

Copies of the posters will be made available at View Source

(Press release, BriaCell Therapeutics, DEC 10, 2025, View Source [SID1234661342])

Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement.

On December 9, 2025, GlaxoSmithKline Intellectual Property (No. 4) Limited ("GSK") delivered written notice to IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. (the "Company") of its election to terminate the Collaboration, Option and License Agreement, dated June 15, 2020 (as amended, the "Agreement"). This written notice constituted GSK’s formal written follow-up to its December 4 communication to the Company regarding the termination, as referenced in the Company’s Form 8-K filed on December 5, 2025. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, such termination will be effective ninety (90) days following the date of GSK’s notice, which is March 9, 2026. During the ninety-day transition period, GSK will transfer the Werner Helicase (IDE275) and Pol Theta (IDE705) clinical programs to the Company in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Agreement. The Company will evaluate its strategic options for these two programs in 2026, and the update does not change its expectation of cash runway into 2030.

The Agreement is filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 12, 2020, Exhibit 10.18 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 18, 2022 and Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 10, 2022. For a summary of the material terms of the Agreement, please see Note 10, Significant Agreements, to Company’s financial statements for the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 18, 2025, which summary is incorporated by reference herein.

(Filing, 8-K, Ideaya Biosciences, DEC 9, 2025, View Source [SID1234661403])

BriaCell’s Phase 3 Patient Enrollment on Track for 1H2026 Topline Data Readout

On December 9, 2025 BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (Nasdaq: BCTX, BCTXW) (TSX: BCT) ("BriaCell" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel immunotherapies to transform cancer care, reported its Phase 3 clinical study has screened over 230 and enrolled over 160 patients. BriaCell anticipates reporting topline data as early as 1H2026.

Interim data will be analyzed once 144 patient events (deaths) occur. Positive results from this pivotal study could support full approval and marketing authorization of Bria-IMT in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

BriaCell’s pivotal Phase 3 clinical study is evaluating BriaCell’s lead clinical candidate, Bria-IMT, plus an immune check point inhibitor versus physician’s choice in a dvanced metastatic b reast c ancer (Bria-ABC).

"The pace of patient enrollment in our pivotal Phase 3 study has exceeded expectations underscoring the strong engagement of participating sites and the high level of interest from patients and investigators," stated Dr. William V. Williams, BriaCell’s President & CEO. "We look forward to collecting, analyzing and sharing the Phase 3 data with the U.S. FDA in the coming months as we continue working to bring hope to patients with metastatic breast cancer who face an urgent medical need."

About BriaCell’s Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Study of Bria-IMT Combination Regimen in MBC patients

BriaCell’s pivotal Phase 3 study of Bria-IMT plus an immune check point inhibitor (CPI) in metastatic breast cancer is ongoing.

Interim data from BriaCell’s ongoing pivotal Phase 3 study of Bria-IMT plus an immune check point inhibitor in metastatic breast cancer will be analyzed once 144 patient events (deaths) occur. This interim analysis will assess overall survival (OS) as the primary endpoint, comparing patients treated with the Bria-IMT combination regimen to those receiving physician’s choice therapy. Positive results from this pivotal study could support full approval and marketing authorization of Bria-IMT in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The Bria-IMT combination regimen has been granted FDA Fast Track designation.

For additional information on BriaCell’s pivotal Phase 3 study, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06072612.

(Press release, BriaCell Therapeutics, DEC 9, 2025, View Source [SID1234661341])

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Year: 2025

GSK’227, a B7-H3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, granted Orphan Drug Designation in small-cell lung cancer by the US FDA

GENFIT: GNS561 Shows Promising Antitumor Activity in Combination Therapy

BriaCell Presents Outstanding Phase 2 Survival & Promising Phase 3 Clinical Data at SABCS® 2025

Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement.

BriaCell’s Phase 3 Patient Enrollment on Track for 1H2026 Topline Data Readout