• 25 Jan 2022
• Admin
• News Article

Ascletis begins patient dosing in phase III trial of FASN inhibitor ASC40 in combo with bevacizumab to treat recurrent glioblastoma

Ascletis Pharma Inc. an innovative R&D driven biotech, announces the dosing of the first patient in the phase III registration clinical trial of ASC40 combined with bevacizumab for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). ASC40 is an oral, selective inhibitor of fatty acid synthase (FASN), a key enzyme which regulates de novo lipogenesis (DNL). ASC40 inhibits energy supply and disturbs membrane phospholipid composition of tumor cells by blocking de novo lipogenesis. The phase III registration study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05118776) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial in China to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and safety of patients with rGBM. Approximately 180 patients will be 1:1 randomized to Cohort 1 (oral ASC40 tablet once daily + bevacizumab) and Cohort 2 (matching placebo tablet once daily + bevacizumab). Approximately 80% of such 180 patients with rGBM in the Phase III clinical trial are expected to be randomized and enrolled by the end of December 2022. The phase II study, completed in the US, in patients with rGBM has shown that the objective response rate (ORR) for ASC40 plus bevacizumab treatment was 65% including a complete response (CR) of 20% and a partial response (PR) of 45%. Based on published data, in China, glioblastoma (GBM) represents 57% of gliomas and has an incidence rate of approximately 2.85 to 4.56 per 100,000 population per year, suggesting approximately 40,000 to 64,000 new cases of GBM per year. More than 90% GBM patients will relapse after surgery, radiation and chemotherapies. In the US, GBM represents 56.6% of gliomas and has an incidence rate of approximately 3.21 per 100,000 population per year.