On October 10, 2023 BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BTAI), a biopharmaceutical company utilizing artificial intelligence to develop transformative medicines in neuroscience and immuno-oncology, reported positive overall survival (OS) data from its Phase 2 trial of BXCL701, the Company’s investigational oral innate immune activator, in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in patients with small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer (SCNC) (Press release, BioXcel Therapeutics, OCT 10, 2023, View Source [SID1234635801]). As of a data cutoff of September 6, 2023, evaluable patients with SCNC (n=28) showed a median OS of 13.6 months (95% CI 10.9–NR), and a 12-month survival rate of 56.5%.
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"OS is the most meaningful measure by which the effectiveness of an oncology treatment is evaluated. Though these results are based on a non-randomized cohort of patients, observing a median OS of this duration including patients with long-term survival at 12 months and beyond shows exceptional promise, bearing in mind historic data with checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy in this high-risk subset of prostate cancer," said Rahul Aggarwal, M.D., Principal Investigator, Associate Director for Clinical Sciences, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). "SCNC represents a major unmet medical need, with the majority of patients unfortunately succumbing to their disease in less than one year following chemotherapy. The results of this trial suggest that BXCL701 has the potential to extend the lives of patients, and I look forward to its continued clinical development."
SCNC, classified as a "cold" tumor, represents an underserved, growing patient population, with cases increasing due to earlier and more widespread use of androgen receptor inhibitors. In 2023, there will be an estimated 288,3002 new patients with prostate cancer in the United States, with approximately 11,532 patients progressing to SCNC.
"We believe our trial results are highly encouraging for patients with this disease and have potential implications for our evaluation of BXCL701 for the treatment of other high-grade neuroendocrine tumors, such as small cell lung cancer, where effective therapies are lacking," said Vincent J. O’Neill, M.D., Chief R&D Officer, OnkosXcel Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of BioXcel Therapeutics. "We intend to discuss these data with the FDA to help determine our next steps with clinical development."
The Phase 2 trial is an open-label, multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BXCL701 in combination with pembrolizumab in men with SCNC. Twenty-eight (28) evaluable SCNC patients received 0.3 mg of BXCL701 twice daily (BID) on days 1 through 14 of a 21-day cycle (0.2 mg BID the first week of cycle 1) plus 200 mg of pembrolizumab administered intravenously on day 1 and every subsequent 21 days. The primary objective of the trial is a composite response rate defined as either objective response by RECIST 1.1 criteria and/or PSA50 and/or CTC count conversion. Secondary objectives include duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, and biomarker evaluation as measured by changes in circulating cytokines and correlation of outcome with baseline tumor characteristics.
The Company is continuing to actively evaluate strategic options for OnkosXcel Therapeutics, including potential financing, strategic partnership, or M&A.
Conference Call
BioXcel Therapeutics will host a conference call and webcast on October 10, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss the data results from the Phase 2 trial of BXCL701. To access the call, please dial 877-407-5795 (domestic) or 201-689-8722 (international). A live webcast and presentation materials will be available on the Investors section of the corporate website, bioxceltherapeutics.com, and a webcast replay will be available through January 10, 2024.
BioXcel Therapeutics may use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. Financial and other important information is routinely posted on and accessible through the Investors sections of its website at www.bioxceltherapeutics.com. In addition, you may sign up to automatically receive email alerts and other information about the Company by visiting the "Email Alerts" option under the News/Events section of the Investors & Media website section and submitting your email address.
About Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC) and Treatment-Emergent Small Cell Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer (SCNC)
mCRPC is a form of advanced prostate cancer that is no longer responding to testosterone-lowering hormone treatments and has spread to other areas of the body such as the lymph nodes, bones, bladder, rectum, liver, or lungs. Treatment-emergent SCNC is a particularly difficult-to-treat histologic subtype of mCRPC that emerges in approximately 20% of mCRPC patients, though this number is increasing due to earlier and more widespread use of androgen blockers.