Cantargia to host R&D Day on nadunolimab combinational synergy in pancreatic cancer and non-small cell lung cancer

Cantargia (Cantargia AB; Nasdaq Stockholm: CANTA) today announced it will host an R&D Day on Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 09:00 AM EDT (3:00 PM CET), focusing on Cantargia’s lead asset, the IL1RAP-binding antibody nadunolimab, and its combinational synergy with chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer (PDAC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The event will feature presentations from two renowned oncology experts, Prof Eric Van Cutsem and Dr Luis Paz--Ares, who will discuss the promising interim data on nadunolimab in PDAC and NSCLC from the phase I/IIa CANFOUR clinical trial, presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting 2022. 

The new interim data presented at ASCO 2022 show that combination of nadunolimab with chemotherapy for treatment of PDAC or NSCLC results in efficacy well above historical controls. In 73 PDAC patients which received nadunolimab with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel, median overall survival (OS) was 12.7 months and median progression-free survival (iPFS) 7.2 months. In 30 NSCLC patients which received nadunolimab with cisplatin/gemcitabine, overall response rate was 53%, median OS 13.7 months and median PFS 6.8 months, with the strongest results in patients with non-squamous NSCLC. The safety was acceptable and readily managed.

During the event, Prof Van Cutsem and Dr Paz-Ares will also discuss the current treatment landscape and unmet medical need in PDAC and NSCLC, respectively. They will be joined by Sudheer Doss, Chief Business Officer at Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), who will discuss the PanCAN Precision Promise℠ phase II/III trial in PDAC which will include nadunolimab. Cantargia’s leadership team will also provide a pipeline update in light of the new ASCO data, including a review of the next development steps for nadunolimab. A live question and answer session will follow each presentation. 

Nadunolimab is a first-in-class anti-IL1RAP antibody, currently evaluated with standard of care chemotherapy or checkpoint inhibitor in five phase I/II clinical trials with a primary focus on PDAC and NSCLC. Nadunolimab induces ADCC and blocks signaling of both IL-1α and IL-1β, counteracting the contribution of IL-1 to the immune suppressive tumor microenvironment and development of resistance to chemotherapy.

Registration information 
You are required to register in advance for the webcast here. For those who are unable to listen at this time, a replay of the call will be available by clicking here. If you would like to ask a question during the live Q&A, please submit your request to questions@lifesciadvisors.com. 

For further information, please contact
Göran Forsberg, CEO
Telephone: +46 (0)46-275 62 60
E-mail: goran.forsberg@cantargia.com

About Cantargia
Cantargia AB (publ), reg. no. 556791-6019, is a biotechnology company that develops antibody-based treatments for life-threatening diseases and has established a platform based on the protein IL1RAP, involved in a number of cancer forms and inflammatory diseases. The main project, the antibody nadunolimab, is being studied clinically in combination with chemotherapy or immune therapy with a primary focus on non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. Positive interim data from the combination with chemotherapy indicate stronger efficacy than would be expected from chemotherapy alone. Cantargia’s second project, the antibody CAN10, addresses treatment of serious autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, with initial focus on systemic sclerosis and myocarditis.

Cantargia is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (ticker: CANTA). More information about Cantargia is available at www.cantargia.com.

About nadunolimab (CAN04)
The antibody CAN04 binds strongly to its target IL1RAP and functions by inducing ADCC and blocking IL-1α and IL-1β signaling. Thereby, CAN04 can counteract the contribution of the IL-1 system to the immune suppressive tumor microenvironment and development of resistance to chemotherapy. CAN04 is investigated in multiple ongoing clinical trials. In the phase I/IIa study CANFOUR, first line combination therapy is investigated with standard chemotherapies in patients with PDAC (gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel) and patients with NSCLC (cisplatin/gemcitabine) (NCT03267316). Positive interim data for the combination therapies show durable responses in 73 patients with PDAC, resulting in median iPFS of 7.2 months and median survival of 12.7 months. Stronger efficacy was also observed in 30 NSCLC patients with median PFS of 6.8 months. A response rate of 53% was achieved, with even higher responses in non-squamous NSCLC patients previously treated with pembrolizumab. These results show stronger efficacy than expected from chemotherapy alone. CAN04 is investigated with chemotherapy also in the phase I study CAPAFOUR, with the FOLFIRINOX regimen for first line treatment of metastatic PDAC (NCT04990037), and in two further clinical studies, CESTAFOUR (NCT05116891) and TRIFOUR (NCT05181462), in additional forms of cancer, including biliary tact cancer, colorectal cancer and triple negative breast cancer. CAN04 is also evaluated with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, with or without chemotherapy, in the phase I study CIRIFOUR (NCT04452214).

Prof Eric Van Cutsem, MD, PhD
Eric Van Cutsem, MD, PhD, is full professor and Division Head of Digestive Oncology at University of Leuven (KUL) and University Hospitals Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium. In 2018, he became doctor honoris causa of the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. Prof Van Cutsem’s research focuses on the development of new treatment strategies for gastrointestinal cancers, including drug development and identification of molecular markers and diagnostic tools. He is Member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine and President of the Belgian Foundation against Cancer.

Dr Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD
Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD is Chair of the Medical Oncology Department at the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Associate Professor at the Universidad Complutense, and Head of the Lung Cancer Unit at the CNIO (National Oncology Research Center), all in Madrid, Spain. Dr Paz-Ares’s research focuses on lung cancer and new therapeutic strategies development, both at the lab and clinical sides.

Sudheer Doss, PhD
Sudheer Doss, PhD, Chief Business Officer at Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) is responsible for business development activities associated with PanCAN’s scientific and medical affairs programs. Doss is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a PhD in human genetics and bioinformatics and a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and molecular genetics.

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