GSK, the FTSE 100 pharmaceutical company, has reported promising early-stage data for an experimental drug targeting one of the most aggressive forms of lung cancer.
The drug, risvutatug rezetecan (Ris-Rez), is an antibody-drug conjugate, a type of therapy that uses an antibody to deliver a toxic payload directly to cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue largely unaffected.
In a phase Ib clinical trial, Ris-Rez shrank tumours in 61% of patients with relapsed extensive-stage small cell lung cancer at the higher of two doses tested.
Small cell lung cancer accounts for around 10-15% of all lung cancer cases and is known for spreading rapidly and responding poorly to treatment, with five-year survival rates typically in single digits.
The results add to positive data from a Chinese trial earlier this year, which showed Ris-Rez cut the risk of death by 54% compared with standard chemotherapy in patients whose disease had returned after initial treatment.
GSK said the findings support its decision to push ahead with the 8 milligram per kilogram dose in a global phase III trial, the large-scale study required before a drug can seek regulatory approval.
The safety profile was described as manageable, though serious side effects were observed in 42% of patients on the higher dose, with blood-related complications the most common.
Hesham Abdullah, GSK's global head of oncology research, said the data reinforced the company's drive to accelerate development in a disease where patients relapse quickly and have few treatment options.
The results are being presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress in Madrid.
