On October 31, 2023 Kintara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTRA) ("Kintara" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of new solid tumor cancer therapies, reported that preliminary topline results from the Glioblastoma Adaptive Global Innovative Learning Environment (GBM AGILE) study showed that VAL-083 did not perform better than the current standards of care in glioblastoma (Press release, Kintara Therapeutics, OCT 31, 2023, View Source [SID1234636533]). These topline results included preliminary safety data for VAL-083 that was similar to that of the current standards of care used to treat glioblastoma. With this study outcome, Kintara is suspending the development of VAL-083 and turning its focus to its second program, REM-001. In addition to focusing on its REM-001 program, Kintara will evaluate a wide range of strategic options aimed at potentially maximizing shareholder value.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
"Glioblastoma represents a high unmet medical need, and patients with this disease have very few treatment options," said Robert E. Hoffman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kintara. "We are very disappointed that the VAL-083 GBM AGILE Study preliminary results do not support continued development efforts to give patients additional treatment options. We sincerely appreciate the exceptional support from patients and their families as well as patient advocates, physicians and our employees who have been committed to the rigorous study of VAL-083. As we shift priorities, we look forward to enrolling our first patient in our 15-patient study of REM-001 in cutaneous metastatic breast cancer (CMBC). Additionally, we will conduct a thorough review of potential strategic opportunities for us to maximize shareholder value in the Company."
"GBM AGILE is a rigorous mechanism for us to efficiently evaluate investigational drugs in a well-controlled, randomized setting," said Meredith Buxton, CEO and President of Global Coalition of Adaptive Research, Sponsor of GBM AGILE. "While we are disappointed that the preliminary results for VAL-083 did not show benefit over standard of care, GBM AGILE is operating as designed and we await final data for VAL-083 in 2024 to better understand if there are possible pathways for further development."
All development activities and related costs for VAL-083 will be suspended while the Company awaits the full dataset from the GBM AGILE Study which is expected at the end of the first quarter/beginning of second quarter of calendar year 2024. At such time Kintara will analyze the full results as it seeks to maximize the value of the VAL-083 asset.
Kintara expects to enroll the first subject in a 15-patient CMBC study around the end of calendar year 2023. The Company was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which is expected to cover the majority of the cost to run the CMBC study. In November 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track Designation (FTD) to Kintara’s REM-001 Therapy for the treatment of patients with CMBC.
REM-001 is a proprietary, late-stage photodynamic therapy platform that holds promise as a localized cutaneous, or visceral, tumor treatment as well as in other potential indications. REM-001 Therapy, which consists of the laser light source, the light delivery device, and the REM-001 drug product, has been previously studied in four Phase 2/3 clinical trials in patients with CMBC who had previously received chemotherapy and/or failed radiation therapy. In CMBC, REM-001 has a clinical efficacy to date of 80% complete responses of CMBC evaluable lesions and an existing robust safety database of approximately 1,100 patients across multiple indications.