On September 14, 2020 Verastem, Inc. (Nasdaq:VSTM) (also known as Verastem Oncology), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients battling cancer, reported that management will host an investor conference call to discuss the updated clinical data from the low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) cohort of the ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1/2 FRAME study (Press release, Verastem, SEP 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234565100]). The ongoing study is evaluating VS-6766, Verastem’s RAF/MEK inhibitor, in combination with defactinib, its FAK inhibitor.
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The investor conference call is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. ET. The conference call coincides with the oral presentation of this data at the 2nd Annual RAS-Targeted Drug Development Summit.
The call will feature members of the Company’s management team and Rachel Grisham, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a medical oncologist and an expert in LGSOC.
Verastem Oncology plans to commence a Phase 2 registration-directed trial investigating the VS-6766/defactinib combination in patients with recurrent LGSOC, as well as patients with KRAS-mutant NSCLC, by the end of 2020.
Details for the RAS-Targeted Drug Development Summit oral presentation are as follows:
Title: Clinical Combinations: Dual RAF-MEK Inhibitor & FAK for Treatment of KRAS Mutant Cancers With a Focus Low Grade Ovarian Cancer
Lead author: Udai Banerji, Professor of Molecular Cancer Pharmacology at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology, MBBS, MD, DNB, PhD, FRCP at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London.
Date and Time: Wednesday, September 16, 2020; 3:35 p.m. ET (12:35 p.m. PT)
Conference Call and Webcast Information
The Verastem Oncology management team will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, at 8:00 AM ET to discuss the updated Phase 1/2 FRAME study data. The call can be accessed by dialing (877) 341-5660 (U.S. and Canada) or (315) 625-3226 (international), five minutes prior to the start of the call and providing the passcode 5278200.
The live, listen-only webcast of the conference call can be accessed by visiting the investors section of the Company’s website at www.verastem.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the Company’s website for 90 days following the call.
About VS-6766
VS-6766 (formerly known as CH5126766, CKI27 and RO5126766) is a unique inhibitor of the RAF/MEK signaling pathway. In contrast to other MEK inhibitors in development, VS-6766 blocks both MEK kinase activity and the ability of RAF to phosphorylate MEK. This unique mechanism allows VS-6766 to block MEK signaling without the compensatory activation of MEK that appears to limit the efficacy of other inhibitors.
About Defactinib
Defactinib (VS-6063) is an oral small molecule inhibitor of FAK and PYK2 that is currently being evaluated as a potential combination therapy for various solid tumors. The Company has received Orphan Drug designation for defactinib in ovarian cancer and mesothelioma in the US, EU and Australia. Preclinical research by Verastem Oncology scientists and collaborators at world-renowned research institutions has described the effect of FAK inhibition to enhance immune response by decreasing immuno-suppressive cells, increasing cytotoxic T cells, and reducing stromal density, which allows tumor-killing immune cells to enter the tumor.1,2
About the VS-6766/Defactinib Combination
RAS mutant tumors are present in 30% of all human cancers and have historically presented a difficult treatment challenge and are often associated with significantly worse prognosis. Challenges associated with identifying new treatment options for these types of cancers include resistance to single agents, identifying tolerable combination regimens with MEK inhibitors and new RAS inhibitors in development addressing only a minority of all RAS mutated cancers.
The combination of VS-6766 and defactinib has been found to be clinically active in KRAS mutant tumors (KRASmt). In an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1/2 FRAME study, the combination of VS-6766 and defactinib is being evaluated in patients with LGSOC, KRASmt NSCLC and colorectal cancer (CRC). Based on an observation of higher response rates seen in patients with KRAS-G12V mutations in the study, Verastem will also be further exploring the role of VS-6766 and defactinib in KRAS-G12V NSCLC. The FRAME study was expanded in August 2020 to include new cohorts in pancreatic cancer, KRASmt endometrial cancer and KRAS-G12V NSCLC.