On October 21, 2021 ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., ("ALX Oncology") (Nasdaq: ALXO), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing therapies that block the CD47 checkpoint pathway, reported the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1/2 ASPEN-05 study evaluating the combination of evorpacept, a next-generation CD47 blocker, with venetoclax and azacitidine for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia ("AML") (Press release, ALX Oncology, OCT 21, 2021, View Source [SID1234591867]).
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The Phase 1 portion of the ASPEN-05 study will characterize the safety and confirm the dose of evorpacept in combination with venetoclax and azacitidine in patients with relapsed/refractory AML and previously untreated AML who are not candidates for intensive induction therapy. The Phase 2 portion of the study will evaluate the efficacy of the combination in patients with previously untreated AML who are not candidates for intensive induction therapy.
ASPEN-05 is based on promising preclinical data with evorpacept in combination with venetoclax and azacitidine in non-clinical models of leukemia, as well as clinical data from an ongoing phase 1 study (NCT03013218) evaluating evorpacept in combination with multiple anti-cancer agents in both solid and hematologic malignancies.
"Patients with either relapsed/refractory AML or previously untreated AML who are not considered eligible for intensive induction regimens remain in urgent need of tolerable and effective new therapies," said Harry Erba, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Leukemia Program at the Duke Cancer Institute. "We are looking forward to evaluating the addition of evorpacept to venetoclax and azacitidine. ALX148 was specifically designed for use in combination to maximize phagocytosis of tumor cells while minimizing the toxicities commonly associated with other CD47-targeted approaches."
"ASPEN-05 builds upon compelling evorpacept combination activity observed in non-clinical models of leukemia. With demonstrated tolerability of evorpacept in multi-agent chemotherapy regimens, we are excited to characterize evorpacept with this standard backbone of AML therapy," said Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of ALX Oncology. "Through blockade of the CD47 myeloid checkpoint, evorpacept in combination with venetoclax and azacitidine may potentially transform treatment options for patients with AML."
The ASPEN-05 trial is registered under NCT04755244. ALX Oncology owns worldwide commercial rights to evorpacept.
About Acute Myeloid Leukemia
AML is an aggressive blood cell cancer that can rapidly progress and lead to death if not treated promptly. AML is the most common form of acute leukemia in adults, with an estimated 19,940 new cases and 11,180 deaths from AML in the United States. Due to advanced age and comorbidities at the time of diagnosis, a significant number of patients are not considered eligible for intensive and potentially curative therapies. Despite advances in available care, the estimated 5-year survival for patients in the United States with AML remains only 29%.