Alligator Bioscience AB (publ) announced that two clinical abstracts on its lead drug candidate mitazalimab, a best- in-class CD40 agonist, in first line metastatic pancreatic cancer will be presented (abstracts 2569 and 4133) in a poster presentation session at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, taking place in Chicago, IL and online during May 31-June 4. Data presented at ASCO from the OPTIMIZE-1 study, of mitazalimab in combination with mFOLFIRINOX chemotherapy, showed that pharmacological analyses identified mitazalimab-induced expansion of CD4 effector T cells one week after first administration as a correlate of treatment outcomes. These data suggest the contribution of mitazalimab to tumor responses, and further supports the unique trial design of OPTIMIZE-1. OPTIMIZE-1 achieved its primary endpoint, demonstrating a confirmed Objective Response Rate (ORR) of 40.4%, an unconfirmed ORR of 50.9% and a disease control rate (DCR) of 79% in 57 evaluable patients, as per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1). This compares favorably to the ORR of 31.6% reported in a similar patient population treated with FOLFIRINOX alone.

Median Duration of Response (DoR) was 12.5 months, remarkably longer than reported so far with any other approved and investigational therapies. Median Overall Survival (OS) was 14.3 months and the survival estimate from the next planned analysis may further improve. The open-label, multi-center OPTIMIZE-1 study assessed the safety and efficacy of mitazalimab (CD40 mAb agonist) in combination with standard of care chemotherapy mFOLFIRINOX, in previously untreated, chemotherapy naïve patients.

More details can be found with the clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT04888312.