[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] SillaJen's stock price is rising on news that it is expanding the indications of Pexa-Vec to kidney cancer and colorectal cancer.
As of 11:32 AM on the 7th, SillaJen is trading at 15,050 KRW, up 16.67% from the previous day.
On this day, Money Today Broadcasting reported that SillaJen recently received additional clinical trial approval related to kidney cancer from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. In the U.S., it also updated the colorectal cancer clinical trial led by the National Cancer Center.
The kidney cancer-related clinical trial is a Phase 1b study combining Pexa-Vec and REGN2810 (generic name: cemiplimab). In Korea, since the initial approval in February 2018, the clinical scope has been expanded to include patients who are refractory (non-responsive) to immune checkpoint inhibitors (targeted anticancer drugs).
Earlier, after the failure of the liver cancer-related clinical trial last year, SillaJen announced that it would verify the efficacy in other cancer types such as kidney cancer and colorectal cancer.
For kidney cancer, which is the clinical trial SillaJen is most focused on, in a dose-determination trial involving five patients, results included one complete response, one partial response, one stable disease, and progression in two patients.
With the additional clinical trial, SillaJen is expected to secure additional data on patients refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors, in addition to the existing combination therapy of 'Pexa-Vec + Regeneron' for subjects with metastatic or unresectable renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
As the proportion of patients refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors increases, there is no company currently dominating this segment, so depending on the case, SillaJen could enjoy a first-mover advantage.
The colorectal cancer clinical trial ongoing in the U.S. is led by the U.S. National Cancer Center and investigates whether combining Pexa-Vec with durvalumab (brand name Imfinzi) can enhance therapeutic effects.
A SillaJen official stated, "The kidney cancer-related clinical trial involves approval to expand the existing patient group," and "We have received approval to expand clinical trials targeting patients refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors." He added, "Regarding colorectal cancer, since it is led by the U.S. National Cancer Center, further confirmation is difficult."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
