The Upcoming '3 Major Cancer Societies' ESMO Next Month... Eyes on K-Bio

HLB Announces Phase 3 Results of Lenvatinib and Camrelizumab Combination
as First-Line Treatment for Liver Cancer

ABL Bio Reveals Preclinical Data of ABL602 for AML Treatment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), considered one of the world's top three cancer societies, will be held next month. As various domestic and international companies plan to disclose research data, attention is focused on whether Korean bio companies can present notable achievements.

According to industry sources on the 26th, the '2022 ESMO' will take place from November 9 to 13 in Paris, France. It is the largest cancer academic conference in Europe and is regarded as one of the world's top three cancer societies alongside the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Being the last of the three to be held, it is also considered a precursor to the following year's JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, the world's largest event for technology transfer and investment attraction. This ESMO will feature presentations of research results from HLB, ABL Bio, Genexine, Abion, Celltrion, NeoImmuneTech, Lunit, and others.

HLB's 'Rivoceranib': Could It Become a Global Liver Cancer Treatment?

The most attention is on HLB. They will present Phase 3 clinical trial results combining their self-developed 'Rivoceranib' with AntiCancer Pharma's 'Camrelizumab' as a first-line treatment for liver cancer. In May, top-line results showed that both primary efficacy endpoints?overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS)?were met, drawing significant interest in the final results.

The key point is OS. The conventional standard treatments for first-line liver cancer have been Bayer's 'Nexavar' and Eisai's 'Lenvima,' with OS around 12 to 13 months. Recently, Roche's combination therapy of 'Tecentriq' and 'Avastin' reported an OS of 19.2 months, rapidly emerging as a new standard treatment. The question is whether the combination of Rivoceranib and Camrelizumab can surpass this. HLB is reportedly expecting more than 19.5 months, as indicated by their slogan 'OS 195,' based on a previous Phase 2 result of 20.3 months.

At this ESMO, various liver cancer treatment research results will also be presented, including Merck (MSD)'s 'Keytruda' combined with Lenvima, and Novartis's 'Tislelizumab.' However, the Keytruda-Lenvima combination has already failed to prove efficacy, and Tislelizumab, which used Nexavar as a control group, is unlikely to show innovative results, increasing expectations for the Rivoceranib-Camrelizumab combination therapy.

ABL Bio will also give an oral presentation of preclinical data on 'ABL602,' a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The presentation will focus on the mechanism of action and anticancer effects of ABL602 observed in AML mouse models and leukemia progenitor cells from actual patients. Genexine will orally present the final results of a Phase 2 clinical trial combining the cervical cancer DNA vaccine 'GX-188E' with 'Keytruda.' This approach induces antigen-specific T-cell immune responses against the oncogenic proteins E6 and E7 produced by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer.

Abion will disclose various results related to 'ABN401,' a c-MET-targeting anticancer agent. This includes first-time clinical Phase 2 data in non-small cell lung cancer patients, preclinical combination studies with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, and a poster presentation on the potential expansion of c-MET therapies in breast cancer.

Celltrion will reveal Phase 3 clinical trial results of 'Vegzelma,' an Avastin biosimilar recently approved for sale in Europe. It is Celltrion's third anticancer antibody biosimilar following 'Truxima' and 'Herzuma,' indicated for metastatic colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

NeoImmuneTech will disclose detailed data from Phase 2a of 'NIT-110,' developed as a solid tumor treatment. They plan to present detailed data on pancreatic, colorectal, and ovarian cancers to provide evidence of the drug's mechanism of action.

Lunit will present five abstracts. They will report research achievements of their AI biomarker platform 'Lunit Scope' on various cancer-related biomarkers, including PD-L1 protein, HER2 protein, and tumor purity.