On December 12, 2018 NETRIS Pharma, a clinical-stage company developing novel anticancer therapies targeting dependence receptors, reported successful completion of the first-in-human study on the effects of netrin-1 inhibition in patients with advanced solid tumors (Press release, Netris Pharma, DEC 12, 2018, View Source [SID1234611180]). The Phase 1 dose-escalation study showed that NP137, a first-in-class monoclonal anti-netrin-1 blocking antibody, was safe and well tolerated up to 20mg/kg, with no dose limiting toxicity (DLT), meeting the primary objective. In addition, patients with advanced uterine cancers exhibited encouraging signs of anti-tumor activity, including prolonged stable disease and objective response.
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"We are very pleased with the safety and tolerability profile of NP137 in this study, which enabled evaluation of netrin-1 inhibition in advanced solid tumors," said Philippe Cassier, MD, PhD, Head of Phase 1 unit at Centre Léon Bérard and Principal Investigator of the NP137 study.
"I am really impressed by the preliminary anti-tumor activity observed in this study with patients showing objective response and prolonged one-year disease control," added Professor Jean Yves Blay, MD, Ph.D. General Director of the Centre Léon Bérard and past president of EORTC.
The Phase 1 study was designed to evaluate the maximum tolerated dose, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and establish the recommended dose for the Phase 1b/2 expansion study. NP137 was dosed every other week starting from 1 mg/kg up to 20mg/kg in heavily pre-treated patients with advanced solid tumors. Additional study objectives were to evaluate the adverse events (AE), pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD) and preliminary anti-tumor activity of NP137. The study enrolled a total of 19 patients in three French centers, the Centre Léon Bérard in Lyon, the Institut Claudius Régaud in Toulouse and the Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest in Nantes. A Phase 1 extension study with an additional 24 patients is ongoing to confirm the safety and tolerability of NP137, collect biopsies before and after treatment to allow measurement of potential biomarkers and confirm the preliminary clinical activity seen during dose escalation. The final phase 1a data will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming international medical conference.
"Meeting the primary objective of the dose-escalation part of this study and generating preliminary positive efficacy data, particularly in such chemotherapy-resistant patients, provide an important confirmation of our dependence receptor science and lay the groundwork for larger clinical studies with NP137 as a targeted approach to treat solid tumors in combination with chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors," said Prof. Patrick Mehlen, Chief Executive Officer of NETRIS Pharma. "Additionally, we would like to thank the investigators, patients and caregivers for their participation in this study, and for contributing to our understanding of NP137 as we work to address a significant medical need."
About NP137
Most types of tumors produce an abnormal amount of dependence receptors’ ligands, which prevents cells from dying. Netrin-1 is overexpressed in a large percentage of human cancers, including over two thirds of gynecologic cancers. Expression of netrin-1 often correlates with disease severity and no therapy has ever been tested against this new pathway.
NP137, a humanized monoclonal antibody of isotype IgG1 directed against netrin-1, is the first drug candidate developed by NETRIS Pharma. NP137 prevents the binding of netrin-1 on its dependence receptors, thereby re-inducing cancer cell death and impacting tumor cell plasticity. Pre-clinical studies show NP137 to have an anti-cancer effect as a monotherapy as well as synergistic effects in combination with chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors or tyrosine kinase inhibitors.