Avion Presents Potential for Combination Therapy with Blockbuster Drug "Keytruda" at ASCO

Avion announced on June 2 that the results of the Phase 2 clinical trial of Vabametkib were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) by principal investigators from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States and Asan Medical Center in Seoul.

The event was held in Chicago, United States, from May 29 to today. Vabametkib demonstrated anticancer efficacy comparable to that of FDA-approved drugs, while also proving excellent safety with zero cases of grade 3 edema, which is considered one of the most severe side effects.

The presentation was divided into two parts: monotherapy and combination therapy. The results of the monotherapy clinical trial were presented directly by Professor Xiuning Le of MD Anderson Cancer Center. Professor Le stated, "Vabametkib has shown therapeutic effects similar to those of currently FDA-approved competing drugs and has demonstrated an excellent safety profile."

In particular, it was emphasized that there were no cases of grade 3 or higher severe edema in the Vabametkib treatment group, even though edema is the most common side effect of c-MET targeted therapies. This serves as evidence of Vabametkib's outstanding tolerability.

Professor Le expressed optimism, saying, "If Vabametkib continues to demonstrate consistent efficacy in terms of objective response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), and progression-free survival (PFS), it could become a new treatment option for patients with MET exon 14 skipping (ΔMETex14) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)."

Vabametkib is considered to have strong potential not only as a monotherapy but also in combination therapies with immuno-oncology (IO) agents, chemotherapy, and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). In the Phase 2 clinical trial, patients who had previously been treated with Keytruda and then received Vabametkib showed improved safety and efficacy compared to competing drugs, indicating new possibilities for combination therapy with Keytruda. Notably, for MET exon 14 skipping non-small cell lung cancer patients, monotherapy with PD-1 inhibitors alone has shown low response rates, but meaningful improvements in response rates are anticipated through combination therapy.

As of 2024, Keytruda is a blockbuster anticancer drug, recording global sales of approximately 41 trillion KRW. With its patent expiration beginning in 2028, biosimilar competition is expected to intensify, leading to further expansion of the related market.

Additionally, the clinical trial design for combination therapy with Lazertinib was introduced at this ASCO in the form of a "Trial-in-Progress" presentation. This clinical trial is led by Professor Lee Daeho of Asan Medical Center, who is a leading authority in the field of non-small cell lung cancer treatment in Korea and has played a key role in numerous clinical studies and the development of treatment guidelines.

Professor Lee stated, "Vabametkib has significant potential to be utilized in various treatment combinations based on its excellent safety and differentiated side effect profile," and added, "In particular, I expect positive results from the ongoing combination clinical trial with Lazertinib."