On May 15, 2023 Protara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TARA), a clinical-stage company developing transformative therapies for the treatment of cancer and rare diseases, reported that patient dosing is now underway in its Phase 1b ADVANCED-1EXP expansion trial evaluating TARA-002, the Company’s investigational cell-based therapy, for the treatment of patients with high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who have carcinoma in situ (CIS) (Press release, Protara Therapeutics, MAY 15, 2023, View Source [SID1234631743]).

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"Following positive preliminary results from the ADVANCED-1 trial, we are pleased to have dosed the first patients in our ADVANCED-1EXP trial," said Jathin Bandari, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Protara Therapeutics. "We believe TARA-002 has the potential to play a meaningful role in the NMIBC treatment landscape, as there continues to be limited treatment options for this highly recurrent disease. We look forward to gaining additional clinical experience with TARA-002 in NMIBC patients with CIS."

ADVANCED-1EXP is a Phase 1b open-label expansion trial, which is evaluating intravesical TARA-002 at the 40KE1 dose in 12 CIS patients, including Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-naïve, BCG-unresponsive and BCG-inadequately treated patients. Trial participants will receive six once-weekly intravesical instillations of TARA-002. The primary objective of the trial is to evaluate the safety, tolerability and signs of anti-tumor activity of TARA-002, and the planned primary endpoint is the complete response (CR) rate at three months.

In April 2023 at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting, the Company announced positive preliminary results from the Phase 1a dose-escalation component of the ADVANCED-1 clinical trial of TARA-002 for the treatment of patients with high-grade NMIBC. The clinical data indicate that TARA-002 was generally well tolerated and anti-tumor activity was observed, including tumor regression in all three evaluable patients with CIS, including one heavily pre-treated BCG-unresponsive patient who achieved a CR.

Based on these results, Protara plans to initiate ADVANCED-2, a Phase 1b/2 open-label trial evaluating intravesical TARA-002 in up to 102 patients with CIS. The Phase 1b trial is expected to enroll 27 patients with CIS (± Ta/T1), BCG-Naïve or BCG-exposed who have not received intravesical BCG for at least 24 months prior to CIS diagnosis. The Phase 2 trial is expected to enroll 75 patients with BCG-unresponsive CIS (± Ta/T1). ADVANCED-2 is expected to initiate in the second half of 2023.

About TARA-002

TARA-002 is an investigational cell therapy in development for the treatment of NMIBC and of LMs for which it has been granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). TARA-002 was developed from the same master cell bank of genetically distinct group A Streptococcus pyogenes as OK-432, a broad immunopotentiator marketed as Picibanil in Japan and approved in Taiwan by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Protara has successfully shown manufacturing comparability between TARA-002 and OK-432.

When TARA-002 is administered, it is hypothesized that innate and adaptive immune cells within the cyst or tumor are activated and produce a strong immune cascade. Neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes infiltrate the abnormal cells and various cytokines, including interleukins IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha are secreted by immune cells to induce a strong inflammatory reaction and destroy the abnormal cells.

About Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the United States, with NMIBC representing approximately 80% of bladder cancer diagnoses. Approximately 65,000 patients are diagnosed with NMIBC in the United States each year. NMIBC is cancer found in the tissue that lines the inner surface of the bladder that has not spread into the bladder muscle.