On November 13, 2025 ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORIC), a clinical stage oncology company focused on developing treatments that address mechanisms of therapeutic resistance, reported additional efficacy and safety data from the Phase 1b trial of once daily ORIC-944 in combination with androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

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"We continue to be encouraged by ORIC-944 combination data, which further demonstrate its potential as a best-in-class PRC2 inhibitor that may benefit a broad range of patients with prostate cancer," said Jacob M. Chacko, M.D., president and chief executive officer. "The tolerability and efficacy data to date provide compelling validation for the doses we’ve selected for the dose optimization portion of the Phase 1b trial. We look forward to sharing dose optimization data in 1Q 2026 ahead of initiating our first global Phase 3 registrational trial in mCRPC in the first half of next year."

ORIC-944 Phase 1b Dose Exploration Data
Patients were previously treated with a median of three prior lines of therapy, including abiraterone acetate, up to one prior line of chemotherapy, and a variety of other approved and investigational treatment regimens. This median does not include background androgen deprivation therapy or first-generation AR inhibitors that the patients may have received. Patients were treated once daily with 400 mg, 600 mg, 800 mg, or 1,200 mg of ORIC-944 in combination with 240 mg of apalutamide once daily or with 600 mg of darolutamide twice daily. PSA data for 20 patients with mCRPC includes 17 patients previously reported in May 2025. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was assessed for 17 patients with mCRPC who had available ctDNA samples and evidence of ctDNA at baseline prior to study entry. PSA response data and ctDNA data are as of September 22, 2025.

Preliminary antitumor activity analysis
PSA responses and ctDNA reductions were observed across all ORIC-944 dose levels and were also observed at comparable rates in combination with apalutamide or with darolutamide.

PSA activity

55% of patients (11/20) achieved a PSA50 response, confirmed in 40% (8/20).
20% of patients (4/20) achieved a PSA90 response (all confirmed).

ctDNA activity
ctDNA serves as a useful biomarker to predict the duration of treatment benefit and survival in prostate cancer. Detectable ctDNA at baseline is associated with poor prognosis, and non-detectable ctDNA at baseline or upon treatment is associated with longer progression-free survival and overall survival. In the Phase 1b trial, 88% of patients had detectable ctDNA at baseline (higher than precedent trials with standard of care agents in comparable mCRPC patient populations), and ORIC-944 in combination with apalutamide or with darolutamide demonstrated:

Rapid and deep ctDNA responses across a breadth of AR mutations and other gene alterations, with 76% of patients (13/17) achieving >50% ctDNA reduction.
59% of patients (10/17) achieved ctDNA clearance, which is greater than clearance rates observed in precedent trials with standard of care agents in comparable mCRPC patient populations.

Preliminary safety analysis
ORIC-944 in combination with apalutamide or with darolutamide continues to be well tolerated to date. Both combination regimens demonstrated a safety profile compatible with long-term dosing, with the vast majority of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) Grade 1 or 2 in severity and consistent with PRC2 and AR inhibition. As of the September 22, 2025 cutoff date, only one patient experienced a Grade 3 TRAE, and there were no Grade 4 or Grade 5 AEs attributed to ORIC-944, apalutamide or darolutamide.

Next Steps
Based on these efficacy and safety results, ORIC has selected provisional recommended Phase 2 doses (RP2Ds) of ORIC-944 to be tested in combination with the approved doses of darolutamide and apalutamide in the dose optimization portion of the Phase 1b trial: 400 mg and 600 mg once daily of ORIC-944 in combination with 600 mg twice daily of darolutamide; and 600 mg, 800 mg and 1,200 mg once daily of ORIC-944 in combination with 240 mg once daily of apalutamide. Enrollment in the dose optimization portion of the trial is ongoing, and the company plans to announce preliminary dose optimization data in 1Q 2026. Data from the dose optimization portion of the trial will inform the choice of ORIC-944 dose to advance in combination with apalutamide or with darolutamide in the first global Phase 3 registrational trial in mCRPC, which the company expects to initiate in 1H 2026.

ORIC-944 Phase 1b Trial Design
ORIC-944 is being evaluated in a Phase 1b dose optimization trial in combination with ERLEADA (apalutamide), Johnson & Johnson’s AR inhibitor, and NUBEQA (darolutamide), Bayer’s AR inhibitor, in patients with mCRPC. Patients are eligible if they have received prior treatment with an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) and up to one prior chemotherapy. The primary objective of the trial is to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D), and additional objectives include safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary clinical activity.

(Press release, ORIC Pharmaceuticals, NOV 13, 2025, View Source [SID1234659911])