On June 8, 2022 Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics to specifically treat ESR1-mutated metastatic breast and gynecological cancers, reported that its poster detailing the results of its Phase 2 lasofoxifene trial, known as ELAINE-2, received a GRASP Advocate Choice Award (Press release, Sermonix Pharmaceuticals, JUN 8, 2022, View Source [SID1234615765]). GRASP, which stands for Guiding Researchers and Advocates to Scientific Partnerships, connects patient advocates with cancer researchers to make faster and more impactful progress to improve cancer treatments. The Sermonix poster will be discussed during two GRASP Poster Walkthroughs at the conclusion of the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.
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The poster, Open-Label, Phase 2, Multicenter Study of Lasofoxifene (LAS) Combined with Abemaciclib (Abema) for Treating Pre- and Post-Menopausal Women with Locally Advanced or Metastatic ER+/HER2− Breast Cancer and an ESR1 Mutation after Progression on Prior Therapies, will be examined during virtual GRASP Poster Walkthroughs on June 9 and June 10. The sessions are titled Breast Cancer – Metastatic; ESR1 Mutation.
The ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) poster describes positive findings from the study related to safety and efficacy in women with ER+/HER2- mBC and an ESR1 mutation who had progressed on previous CDK4/6i therapies. Lasofoxifene is the only selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) currently being developed exclusively to treat breast cancers with ESR1 mutations.
"Sermonix believes in the potential of lasofoxifene, and we recognize patient advocates play a critical role in bringing awareness to researchers and scientists about the realities of the patient experience," said Dr. Elizabeth Attias, Sermonix chief strategy and development officer. "We thank GRASP for the vitally important work it does to unite patients, clinicians and researchers, and we look forward to discussing our ELAINE-2 study poster and learning more about the needs of women with acquired endocrine resistance and ESR1 mutations."
Attias and Dr. David Portman, Sermonix founder and chief executive officer, will participate in the June 9 Poster Walkthrough. Dr. Senthil Damodaran, the study’s primary investigator, and Dr. Paul Plourde, vice president of oncology clinical development for Sermonix, will participate in the June 10 session.
GRASP was started in 2019 by two women who are living with breast cancer, based on the recognition that facilitating the patient experience and researcher discussion early and often forges powerful collaborations that positively impact the research landscape. It is GRASP’s aspiration to make cancer research more patient-centered, innovative and inclusive. GRASP intentionally keeps its Poster Walkthrough groups small and informal, helping patients to feel comfortable in a conversational atmosphere that informs the patient and researcher exchange.
The ELAINE studies of lasofoxifene were named in honor of Dr. Elaine Davidson Nemzer, sister of Sermonix co-founder Dr. Miriam Davidson Portman. Nemzer was a brilliant and compassionate child psychologist whose life was cut short by metastatic breast cancer at the age of 47.
About Lasofoxifene
Lasofoxifene is an investigational, nonsteroidal selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), which Sermonix licensed globally from Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: LGND) and has been studied in previous comprehensive Phase 1-3 non-oncology clinical trials in more than 15,000 postmenopausal women worldwide. Lasofoxifene’s bioavailability and activity in mutations of the estrogen receptor could potentially hold promise for patients who have acquired endocrine resistance due to ESR1 mutations, a common finding in the metastatic setting and an area of high unmet medical need. Lasofoxifene’s novel activity in ESR1 mutations was discovered at Duke University and Sermonix has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the product in this area. Lasofoxifene, a potent, oral SERM could, if approved, play a critical role in the targeted precision medicine treatment of advanced ER+ breast cancer.