On March 25, 2025 Verastem Oncology (Nasdaq: VSTM), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients with RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers, reported multiple oral and poster presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2025 to be held on April 25-30 in Chicago, Illinois (Press release, Verastem, MAR 25, 2025, View Source [SID1234651419]). These presentations will highlight clinical and preclinical data from the Company’s development programs, including VS-7375 (GFH375), an oral KRAS G12D (ON/OFF) inhibitor and avutometinib, an oral RAF/MEK clamp, and defactinib, an oral FAK inhibitor.
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"At this year’s AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) annual meeting, we show that VS-7375, our oral KRAS G12D (ON/OFF) inhibitor, was found to be more potent than other KRAS G12D inhibitors in preclinical models. In addition, using a patient-derived LGSOC xenograft model, we and our collaborators further explored the mechanism by which our FAK inhibitor increases the anti-tumor efficacy of avutometinib. The results demonstrate that compared to avutometinib alone, the FAK inhibitor/avutometinib combination inhibits RAS/MAPK pathway signaling more deeply while also blocking key adaptive resistance mechanisms including PI3K and YAP/TEAD signaling," said Jonathan Pachter, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Verastem Oncology.
Key Data Presentations:
Oral Presentation: Minisymposium
Title: Correlative preclinical studies to elucidate mechanisms of synergy of the combination of the RAF/MEK clamp avutometinib and the FAK inhibitor defactinib in low-grade serous ovarian cancer
Abstract #: 6368
Presenter: Udai Banerji, M.D.
Session: Targeted Therapies and Combinations, Clinical Research
Session Date/Time: April 29, 2025 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm CST
In a patient-derived LGSOC xenograft model, addition of a FAK inhibitor with avutometinib augmented tumor regression, more strongly inhibited RAS/MAPK pathway signaling compared to avutometinib alone and suppressed multiple putative mechanisms of resistance to avutometinib monotherapy including PI3K and YAP/TEAD signaling.
Poster Presentations:
Title: GFH375 (VS-7375): An oral, selective KRAS G12D (ON/OFF) inhibitor with potent anti-tumor efficacy as single agent and in combination with other anticancer therapies in preclinical models
Abstract #: 4394
Session: RAS Inhibitors, Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Location/Poster Board #: Poster Section 21, Board # 29
Date and Time: April 29, 2025 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm CST
VS-7375 (GFH375), a selective oral KRAS G12D (ON/OFF) inhibitor, was found to be more potent than other KRAS G12D inhibitors in preclinical models. In addition, the combination of VS-7375 with the anti-EGFR antibody, cetuximab, induced strong tumor regressions in preclinical models, including complete responses in all mice in a colorectal cancer model.
Title: RAF/MEK clamp avutometinib combined with a pan-RAF inhibitor induces nearly complete MAPK pathway inhibition with deep tumor regressions in NRAS or BRAF class III mutant models
Abstract #: 4393
Session: RAS Inhibitors, Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Location/Poster Board #: Poster Section 21, Board # 28
Date and Time: April 29, 2025 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm CST
Combining avutometinib with a pan-RAF inhibitor (exarafenib or belvarafenib) led to strong tumor regressions in multiple NRAS- and BRAF-driven tumor models corresponding with nearly complete inhibition of RAS/MAPK pathway signaling.
Late-Breaking and Clinical Abstracts:
Title: A Single-Arm Phase 1 Trial of Avutometinib (RAF/MEK inhibitor), Abemaciclib (Abema), and Fulvestrant in CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i)-pretreated patients (pts) with HR+ Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) – Investigator-Sponsored Trial
Abstract #: CT028
Session: Phase 0 and Phase I Clinical Trials
Location/Poster Board #: Poster Section 49, Board #7
Date and Time: April 28, 2025 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm CST
Title: Mechanistic rationale for combination of RAF/MEK glue avutometinib with a pan-RAF inhibitor for RAS-mutant tumor-selective therapy
Abstract #: LB424
Session: Late-Breaking Research: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics 4
Location/Poster Board #: Poster Section 51, Board #6
Date and Time: April 30, 2025 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm CST
The accepted abstracts are available on the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) conference website: AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2025 | Meetings | AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper). Late-breaking and clinical abstracts will be available on April 25, 2025.
About the Avutometinib and Defactinib Combination
Avutometinib is an oral RAF/MEK clamp that potently inhibits MEK1/2 kinase activities and induces inactive complexes of MEK with ARAF, BRAF, and CRAF, potentially creating a more complete and durable anti-tumor response through maximal RAS/MAPK pathway inhibition. In contrast to currently available MEK-only inhibitors, avutometinib blocks both MEK kinase activity and the ability of RAF to phosphorylate MEK. This unique mechanism allows avutometinib to block MEK signaling without the compensatory activation of MEK that appears to limit the efficacy of the MEK-only inhibitors.
Defactinib is an oral, selective inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and proline-rich tyrosine kinase-2 (Pyk2), the two members of the focal adhesion kinase family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases. FAK and Pyk2 integrate signals from integrin and growth factor receptors to regulate cell proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion. FAK activation has been shown to mediate resistance to multiple anti-cancer agents, including RAF and MEK inhibitors.
Verastem Oncology is currently conducting clinical trials with avutometinib with and without defactinib in RAS/MAPK-driven tumors as part of its Raf And Mek Program or RAMP. Verastem is currently enrolling patients and activating sites for RAMP 301 (GOG-3097/ENGOT-ov81/NCRI) (NCT06072781), an international Phase 3 confirmatory trial evaluating the combination of avutometinib and defactinib versus standard chemotherapy or hormonal therapy for the treatment of recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC).
Verastem was granted Priority Review and a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of June 30, 2025, for its New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for the investigational combination of avutometinib and defactinib in adults with recurrent KRAS mutant LGSOC who received at least one prior systemic therapy. Verastem initiated a rolling NDA in May 2024 to the FDA and completed its NDA submission in October 2024. The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of patients with recurrent LGSOC after one or more prior lines of therapy, including platinum-based chemotherapy, in May 2021. Avutometinib alone or in combination with defactinib was also granted Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA for the treatment of LGSOC.
Verastem Oncology has established a clinical collaboration with Amgen to evaluate LUMAKRAS (sotorasib) in combination with avutometinib and defactinib in both treatment-naïve patients and in patients whose KRAS G12C mutant non-small cell lung cancer progressed on a G12C inhibitor as part of the RAMP 203 trial (NCT05074810). Verastem has received Fast Track Designation from the FDA for the triplet combination in April 2024. RAMP 205 (NCT05669482), a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating avutometinib and defactinib with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in patients with front-line metastatic pancreatic cancer, is supported by the PanCAN Therapeutic Accelerator Award. FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation to the avutometinib and defactinib combination for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
About VS-7375, an Oral KRAS G12D (ON/OFF) Inhibitor
VS-7375 is a potential best-in-class, potent, and selective oral KRAS G12D dual ON/OFF inhibitor. VS-7375 is the lead program from the Verastem Oncology discovery and development collaboration with GenFleet Therapeutics. Verastem filed an investigational new drug (IND) application in the U.S. for VS-7375 in the first quarter of 2025. GenFleet’s IND for VS-7375 (known as GFH375 in China) was approved in China in June 2024, and the first patient was dosed in a Phase 1/2 study in July 2024.