Live biotherapeutics company 4D Pharma (DDDD:AIM) released positive interim results from a cancer trial which showed its therapeutic treatment in combination Merck’s KEYTRUDA met its goals early.
The shares surged by 32% to 59.2p as investors welcomed the increased prospect of 4D Pharma’s MRx0518 reaching the next stage of its development.
KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.
SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES
The study has so far enrolled 20 patients with RCC (renal cell carcinoma) of which four out of the first 16 have achieved at least six months of stable disease.
This satisfies the efficacy end point of the study which specified at least three out of 30 patients achieving a clinical benefit.
Chief scientific officer Alex Stevenson commented: ‘Today's results in renal cell carcinoma, meeting the predefined primary efficacy endpoint early in this difficult to treat population, marks another important step forward for MRx0518 and the increasing importance of the microbiome in cancer treatment.’
The wider study has so far enrolled 47 patients out of up to 120 with different types of cancers including RCC, non-small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The company said MRx0518 continued to be safe and well tolerated.
4D Pharma intends to discuss the next steps with partners and its cancers advisory board regarding the development path of MRx0518.
WHAT IS MRx0518?
4D pharma is a world leader in the development of live biotherapeutics, a novel and emerging class of drugs defined by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as biological products that contain a live organism such as a bacterium that is applicable to the prevention, treatment or cure of a disease.
MRx0518 is an oral capsule which stimulates the body’s immune system, directing it to produce small proteins and immune cells which are known to attack tumours.
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