Full Press Release Details
Verastem Oncology Announces Presentation
of Updated Phase 1/2 FRAME Study Data at the 2nd Annual RAS-Targeted Drug Development Summit
Preliminary Data on VS-6766 and Defactinib
Combination Continues to Show Encouraging Response Rates, Durability and a Favorable Safety Profile in KRAS Mutant Low-Grade Serous
Ovarian Cancer in Investigator-Initiated Trial
New Preclinical Data Demonstrating Synergy
and Tumor Regression with G12C Inhibitors in Combination with VS-6766 and FAK Inhibitor In Vitro and In Vivo Also Presented
Management to Host Investor Conference
Call Today at 8:00 AM ET
BOSTON, MA - September 16,
2020 - Verastem, Inc. (Nasdaq:VSTM) (also known as Verastem Oncology), a biopharmaceutical company committed to
advancing new medicines for patients battling cancer, today announced updated results from the ongoing investigator-initiated Phase
1/2 FRAME study evaluating VS-6766, its RAF/MEK inhibitor, in combination with defactinib, its FAK inhibitor, which demonstrated
robust response rates, duration of response and a favorable safety profile in patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC).
These data will be presented in a virtual oral presentation today by Dr. Udai Banerji from The Institute of Cancer Research
and The Royal Marsden at the 2nd Annual RAS-Targeted Drug Development Summit.
"Existing treatments for patients
with LGSOC are limited by either 10-25% response rates and/or increased toxicities, leading to high discontinuation rates. The
FRAME data being presented today continue to demonstrate that RAF/MEK inhibition combined with FAK inhibition is well tolerated
with a 56% overall response rate (ORR) in patients with KRAS-G12 mutant LGSOC and a 41% ORR in the overall LGSOC population. These
data are still actively maturing with more than half of the patients still on treatment as of the data cutoff date, and responses
in this patient population tend to deepen over time," said Dan Paterson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Verastem
Oncology. "The response rates from this expanded data set are highly encouraging, consistent with the prior positive data
from this study, and continue to speak to the significant potential of the VS-6766/defactinib combination for patients battling
Verastem recently met with the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), and the FDA is supportive of the Company's adaptive study design for the planned Phase 2 registration-directed
trials evaluating VS-6766 and defactinib in patients with recurrent LGSOC. Verastem expects to commence registration-directed clinical
trials in both recurrent LGSOC and KRAS mutant non-small cell lung cancer by the end of 2020. Assuming a positive outcome from
these registration-directed trials, Verastem expects to submit New Drug Applications to the FDA requesting accelerated approval
for the VS-6766/defactinib combination in both LGSOC and KRAS mutant NSCLC.
Updated Phase 1/2 FRAME Study Results
in Patients with LGSOC
Among the patients with LGSOC (n=17), the
overall response rate (ORR) was 41% (7 of 17 patients), all partial responses (PRs). Among the patients with KRAS-G12 mutant LGSOC
(n=9), the ORR was 56% (5 of 9 patients). Of the seven patients who responded, five had received one or more prior MEK inhibitors.
In patients with KRAS mutant LGSOC receiving the recommended Phase 2 dosing (RP2D) regimen, the ORR was 50% (3 of 6 patients).
The LGSOC cohort of the FRAME study remains ongoing, with 53% (9 of 17 patients) still on study as of the data cutoff date of August 17,
2020, with three patients on treatment for two years or more.
The most common Grade 3 treatment-related
adverse events (TEAEs) observed for the recommended Phase 2 dosing regimen were rash (4%) and elevated creatine kinase (4%). No
patients discontinued from the FRAME study due to TEAEs.
The novel, intermittent, combination dosing
schedule used in the FRAME study continues to show encouraging clinical activity in patients with KRAS mutant LGSOC, including
in patients who had previously progressed following treatment with a MEK inhibitor.
"These updated safety and efficacy
results in both KRAS mutant LGSOC as well as the overall LGSOC population are highly encouraging. Of particular note in this early
look at the data, is the strong, 50% response rate, durability, and tumor reduction seen in patients with KRAS mutant LGSOC receiving
the recommended Phase 2 dosing (RP2D) regimen, which is the regimen we will be taking into our upcoming registration-directed study,"
said Brian Stuglik, Chief Executive Officer of Verastem Oncology. "With nine out of 11 patients at RP2D active in the study
and responses still developing, we look forward to continued data outputs from this study and we remain on track to commence Phase
2 registration-directed trials in both LGSOC and KRAS mutant NSCLC by the end of this year."
Preclinical Results from Studies Investigating
VS-6766 and Defactinib in Combination with G12C Inhibitors
KRAS-G12C inhibitors may benefit from novel
combination approaches to enhance their inhibition of the ERK signaling pathway. In the preclinical results that will be presented
today at the meeting, VS-6766 showed synergy with KRAS-G12C inhibitors in reducing cancer cell viability across a panel of KRAS-G12C
mutant NSCLC and colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. This enhanced cellular anti-cancer activity of the combination correlated
with deeper and more durable inhibition of ERK pathway signaling relative to G12C inhibition alone. In KRAS-G12C mutant NSCLC models
in mice, the RAF/MEK dual inhibitor VS-6766 was more effective than trametinib when compared at equal dose level both alone and
in combination with a G12C inhibitor. In the KRAS-G12C NSCLC models tested, the combination of G12C inhibitor with VS-6766 and
FAK inhibitor induced tumor regressions of 30% in all mice.
"The anti-tumor effects of VS-6766
were generally comparable to those of KRAS-G12C inhibitors in KRAS-G12C NSCLC models in mice and were stronger than the effects
of trametinib at a comparable dose," said Jonathan Pachter, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Verastem Oncology. "The
tumor regressions observed with the triple combination of VS-6766, FAK inhibitor and G12C inhibitor were particularly striking.
These data support clinical evaluation of VS-6766 and defactinib with G12C inhibitors in patients with KRAS-G12C mutant tumors."
About the Phase 1/2 FRAME Study
The FRAME study is an open-label, investigator-initiated
study that is designed to assess safety, dose response and preliminary efficacy of the VS-6766/defactinib combination in patients
with KRAS mutant solid tumors, including LGSOC, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). The FRAME study
is being led by Dr. Banerji and is being conducted in the United Kingdom. In this study, VS-6766 was administered using a
twice-weekly dose escalation schedule and was administered three out of every four weeks. Defactinib was administered using a twice-daily
dose escalation schedule, also three out of every four weeks. Dose levels were assessed in three cohorts: cohort 1 (VS-6766 3.2mg,
defactinib 200mg); cohort 2a (VS-6766 4mg, defactinib 200mg); and cohort 2b (VS-6766 3.2mg, defactinib 400mg). The recommended
Phase 2 dose was determined to be VS-6766 3.2mg, defactinib 200mg. The FRAME study is now expanding to include new cohorts in pancreatic
cancer, KRAS mutant endometrial cancer and KRAS-G12V mutant NSCLC.
Details for the RAS-Targeted Drug Development
Summit oral presentation are as follows:
Title: Clinical Combinations: Dual
RAF-MEK Inhibitor & FAK for Treatment of KRAS Mutant Cancers With a Focus on Low Grade Ovarian Cancer
Lead author: Udai Banerji, The Institute of Cancer Research
and The Royal Marsden
Date and Time: Wednesday, September 16, 2020; 3:35
p.m. ET (12:35 p.m. PT)
Title: Synergistic Combinations
with the Dual RAF/MEK Inhibitor VS-6766 to Overcome Resistance Mechanisms
Lead author: Jonathan Pachter, Verastem Oncology
Date and Time: Wednesday, September 16, 2020; 12:10
p.m. ET (9:10 a.m. PT)
Conference Call and Webcast Information
The Verastem Oncology management team will host a conference
call and webcast on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, at 8:00 AM ET to discuss the updated Phase 1/2 FRAME study data. The call
can be accessed by dialing (877) 341-5660 (US and Canada) or (315) 625-3226 (international), five minutes prior to the start of
the call and providing the passcode 5278200.
The live, listen-only webcast of the conference
call can be accessed by visiting the investors section of the Company's website at www.verastem.com. A replay of the webcast will
be archived on the Company's website for 90 days following the call.
(formerly known as CH5126766, CKI27 and RO5126766) is a unique inhibitor of the RAF/MEK signaling pathway. In contrast to other
MEK inhibitors in development, VS-6766 blocks both MEK kinase activity and the ability of RAF to phosphorylate MEK. This unique
mechanism allows VS-6766 to block MEK signaling without the compensatory activation of MEK that appears to limit the efficacy of