TURKU, Finland and BOSTON, Mass. — Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing a CLEVER approach to reprogramming myeloid cells to activate anti-tumor immunity in hematological and solid tumor microenvironments, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in Phase 2 of the BEXMAB trial that evaluates the safety and efficacy of bexmarilimab, in combination with standard of care (SoC) in patients with hypomethylating agents (HMAs)-refractory or relapsed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), an aggressive myeloid leukemia with very few treatment options.
The ongoing, randomized parallel-assigned Phase 2 part is enrolling 32 HMA-failed MDS patients at 3 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg dose levels of bexmarilimab. Dose levels have been selected in accordance with the FDA’s Project Optimus initiative, which aims to reform the paradigm of dose optimization and selection in oncology drug development. Patients are being randomized 1:1 between the doses before moving into a Phase 2/3 study expansion. As previously detailed, data from the first 20 patients (10 per dose group) will be reviewed for exposure-to-benefit to compare the two selected dose levels. Post selection of final dosing, Faron intends to discuss a potential registrational study plan with the FDA.
“Dosing of the first patients in this advanced part of the BEXMAB study is another significant milestone in the bexmarilimab program, and we want to thank our clinical network again for the rapid advancement of our program,” said Dr. Birge Berns, Chief Medical Officer of Faron. “Refractory and relapsed MDS represents a significant therapeutic challenge and based on the recently announced data at ASH from the Phase 1 part of this trial, we believe that bexmarilimab has the potential to save and improve the lives of HMA-failed MDS patients.“
Faron is currently opening additional sites to speed up the trial’s rapid recruitment, ahead of a future registrational study. The Company’s key focus is to pursue an accelerated path to approval in refractory higher risk MDS, where no treatment option exists.
Given the positive results to date, the Company will also explore the immunotherapy’s potential in low risk MDS as well as chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) patients, who are currently treated with HMA-based therapies treatment upon worsening of disease and consider further development and expansion opportunities with bexmarilimab in hematological cancers in the form of partnerships.
About BEXMAB
The BEXMAB study is an open-label Phase 1/2 clinical trial investigating bexmarilimab in combination with standard of care (SoC) in the aggressive hematological malignancies of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The primary objective is to determine the safety and tolerability of bexmarilimab in combination with SoC (azacitidine) treatment. Directly targeting Clever-1 could limit the replication capacity of cancer cells, increase antigen presentation, ignite an immune response, and allow current treatments to be more effective. Clever-1 is highly expressed in both AML and MDS and associated with therapy resistance, limited T cell activation and poor outcomes.
About Bexmarilimab
Bexmarilimab is Faron’s wholly owned, investigational immunotherapy designed to overcome resistance to existing treatments and optimize clinical outcomes, by targeting myeloid cell function and igniting the immune system. Bexmarilimab binds to Clever-1, an immunosuppressive receptor found on macrophages leading to tumor growth and metastases (i.e. helps cancer evade the immune system). By targeting the Clever-1 receptor on macrophages, bexmarilimab alters the tumor microenvironment, reprogramming macrophages from an immunosuppressive (M2) state to an immunostimulatory (M1) one, upregulating interferon production and priming the immune system to attack tumors and sensitizing cancer cells to standard of care.
About Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Faron (AIM: FARN, First North: FARON) is a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on tackling cancers via novel immunotherapies. Its mission is to bring the promise of immunotherapy to a broader population by uncovering novel ways to control and harness the power of the immune system. The Company’s lead asset is bexmarilimab, a novel anti-Clever-1 humanized antibody, with the potential to remove immunosuppression of cancers through reprogramming myeloid cell function. Bexmarilimab is being investigated in Phase I/II clinical trials as a potential therapy for patients with hematological cancers in combination with other standard treatments.
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