Yuhan Corporation Draws Attention with Clinical Results of Lung Cancer Drug Candidate 'Rayzertinib'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Yuhan Corporation has attracted attention by producing positive results in clinical trials of the lung cancer drug candidate 'Lazertinib.'

At the 2020 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held on the 20th (local time), Janssen announced the results of a Phase 1b combination clinical trial of amivantamab and Lazertinib conducted on non-small cell lung cancer patients. Yuhan Corporation has been co-developing Lazertinib after licensing it out to Janssen in 2018.

Analysis suggests that the potential as a first-line treatment has been confirmed through this clinical result. Sun Minjung, a researcher at Hana Financial Investment, said, "This ESMO presentation is the first case of a combination clinical trial of amivantamab and Lazertinib, and despite being early data, it demonstrated the efficacy of the combination therapy," adding, "In particular, the fact that a 100% ORR was observed in patients with no prior experience of anticancer drug administration is very meaningful as it shows the potential success of amivantamab and Lazertinib combination therapy as a first-line treatment."

Seok Geunhee, a researcher at Samsung Securities, also explained, "We achieved a 100% ORR and excellent safety for the purpose of first-line treatment," and added, "It is expected to become a blockbuster drug that can compete with 'Tagrisso,' Lazertinib's rival drug."

With expectations for proven anticancer efficacy and safety, Yuhan Corporation closed the previous day at 72,000 KRW. This is an 8.11% (5,400 KRW) increase compared to the previous trading day. During the session, the price soared to 75,000 KRW, setting a 52-week high.

Following the announcement of these clinical results, securities firms raised their target stock prices. Samsung Securities revised their target from 60,000 KRW to 80,000 KRW, and Hana Financial Investment raised theirs from 85,000 KRW to 100,000 KRW.

Korean Janssen received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety yesterday to conduct a Phase 3 clinical trial administering Lazertinib and amivantamab together to non-small cell lung cancer patients with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene.