On December 20, 2022 Erasca, Inc. (Nasdaq: ERAS), a clinical-stage precision oncology company singularly focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing therapies for patients with RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers, reported dosing of the first patient in the HERKULES-1 Phase 1b trial evaluating ERK1/2 inhibitor ERAS-007 in combination with SHP2 inhibitor ERAS-601 (together, Erasca’s first MAPKlamp) in patients with RAS/MAPK pathway-altered solid tumors (Press release, Erasca, DEC 20, 2022, View Source [SID1234639362]).

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"We are pleased with our team’s efficient execution that resulted in dosing the first patient in our MAPKlamp trial in 2022 ahead of schedule," said Jonathan E. Lim, M.D., Erasca’s chairman, CEO, and co-founder. "ERK and SHP2 inhibition with ERAS-007 and ERAS-601 targets critical downstream and upstream nodes in the RAS/MAPK pathway, offering a rational approach that is supported by early clinical data that we presented at our R&D Day in September. Notably, we reported four responses in nine patients with BRAF-driven tumors to either monotherapy ERAS-007 or ERAS-601. Three of these responses were in tumors with BRAF Class 2 or 3 alterations, including a confirmed response to monotherapy SHP2 inhibition in a patient with a BRAF Class 3 alteration, which is dependent on upstream receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activation. We look forward to exploring the potential to address the high unmet need in these BRAF subtypes, which have no approved targeted therapies and represent up to 25% of all BRAF-driven tumors."

The MAPKlamp portion of HERKULES-1 will initially examine the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of ERAS-007 in combination with ERAS-601 in patients with RAS/MAPK pathway-altered solid tumors. After a recommended dose is determined, the Phase 2 expansion portion will further evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination in patients with different mutational subtypes, including BRAF Class 2 and 3 patients. ERAS-007 and ERAS-601 had favorable monotherapy safety and tolerability profiles with largely non-overlapping treatment-related adverse events that support combination development. Forty-four percent (4/9) of patients with BRAF-driven tumors responded (one confirmed and three unconfirmed PRs) to single agent ERAS-007 or ERAS-601, including three (one confirmed and two unconfirmed PRs) in tumors with BRAF Class 2 and 3 alterations.

The clinical data referred to above was presented at Erasca’s September 7, 2022 R&D Day, and consisted of a retrospective pooled interim analysis of monotherapy ERAS-007 and ERAS-601 data, with data cutoff dates of 11/6/20, 7/11/22, and 5/16/22 for the ASN007-101, FLAGSHP-1, and HERKULES-1 trials, respectively.

About ERAS-007
ERAS-007 is a potential best-in-class ERK1/2 inhibitor being investigated alone or in combination with different inhibitors targeting upstream nodes of the RAS/MAPK pathway as part of Erasca’s MAPKlamp strategy. The extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), ERK1 and ERK2, belong to a family of serine-threonine kinases that regulate cellular signaling and comprise the terminal node of the RAS/MAPK pathway. ERAS-007 is being investigated across the series of HERKULES clinical trials that span multiple tumor types and includes both monotherapy and combinations with approved and investigational agents, such as RTK, SHP2, RAS, RAF, and/or cell cycle inhibitors. HERKULES-1 is a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial for ERAS-007 as a single agent and in combination with the SHP2 inhibitor ERAS-601 (together, Erasca’s first MAPKlamp) in advanced solid tumors. HERKULES-2 is a Phase 1b/2 master protocol clinical trial for ERAS-007 in combination with various agents in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). HERKULES-3 is a Phase 1b/2 master protocol clinical trial for ERAS-007 in combination with various agents in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

About ERAS-601
ERAS-601 is a potential best-in-class oral, selective SHP2 inhibitor being investigated alone or in combination. SHP2 acts as a convergent node for receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling, relaying growth and survival signals from RTKs to intracellular signaling pathways. ERAS-601 combined with the ERK1/2 inhibitor ERAS-007 makes up Erasca’s first innovative MAPKlamp strategy. ERAS-601 is being investigated across a series of clinical trials that span multiple tumor types and include both monotherapy and combinations with approved and investigational agents. FLAGSHP-1 is a Phase 1/1b clinical trial evaluating ERAS-601 as a monotherapy in advanced solid tumors and in combination in triple wildtype (KRAS/NRAS/BRAF wildtype) CRC and human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). HERKULES-1 is a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial that includes evaluation of ERAS-601 in combination with ERAS-007 in advanced solid tumors. HERKULES-2 is a Phase 1b/2 master protocol clinical trial that includes evaluation of ERAS-601 in combination with various agents in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).