SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FibroGen, Inc. (NASDAQ: FGEN), today announced the dosing of the first patient in the LAPIS Phase 3 clinical study of pamrevlumab in patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC).
“Patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer face a dire prognosis. The use of pamrevlumab, a novel anti-fibrotic used as neoadjuvant therapy, may change tumor status from unresectable to resectable thus potentially improving the prognosis of the patient”, said Pascal Hammel, MD, PhD a gastroenterologist, oncologist, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy France. “If this pivotal phase 3 trial is successful, I believe this type of treatment will be highly valued by the physician community treating LAPC.”
“With this announcement of dosing of the first patient in our LAPIS study, we are excited to further advance late-stage development of pamrevlumab as a treatment for locally-advanced pancreatic cancer,” said Elias Kouchakji, M.D., Senior Vice President, Clinical Development, and Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance, with FibroGen. “We are grateful for the opportunity to build on supportive data from our previous Phase 2 studies, as we continue to explore the potential of pamrevlumab as an important treatment option for patients with LAPC.”
In LAPC patients who undergo resection, median survival and five-year survival rates are higher than for unresectable LAPC patients who did not undergo resection. Therefore, achieving surgical resection in this patient population is a meaningful treatment goal.
LAPIS is a multinational randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study that will evaluate neoadjuvant pamrevlumab therapy in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. The design of this study is similar to FibroGen’s prior Phase 2 trials. In these studies, a higher percentage of patients treated with the pamrevlumab combination achieved surgical resection and had a statistically significant median survival rate. LAPIS is expected to enroll approximately 260 patients. The primary endpoint of the study is overall survival. The resection rate is a surrogate endpoint, and, should the resection rates favor the pamrevlumab combination, FibroGen plans to request a meeting with the FDA to discuss a marketing application under the provisions of accelerated approval.
For more information regarding this study please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03941093).
About Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
In locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), the patient’s tumor typically involves structures, particularly blood vessels that are closely associated with the pancreas such as the superior mesenteric artery and superior mesenteric vein. Involvement of the cancer around these blood vessels precludes surgical removal of the tumor. Patients with unresectable LAPC have a median survival of 6 to 10 months, only slightly better than patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, and only 20 percent of newly diagnosed patients are classified as having resectable disease. Patients who have their tumor surgically removed have a much better prognosis with median survival of approximately 23 months with some patients being cured.
About Pamrevlumab
Pamrevlumab is a first-in-class antibody developed by FibroGen to inhibit the activity of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a common factor in fibrotic and proliferative disorders characterized by persistent and excessive scarring that can lead to organ dysfunction and failure. Pamrevlumab is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and for the treatment of locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer (LAPC), and in Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to pamrevlumab for the treatment of patients with IPF, LAPC, and DMD. Pamrevlumab has also received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with IPF and LAPC. Across all clinical studies, pamrevlumab has consistently demonstrated a good safety and tolerability profile to date. For information about pamrevlumab studies currently recruiting patients, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.
About FibroGen
FibroGen, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, with subsidiary offices in Beijing and Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, is a leading biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing a pipeline of first-in-class therapeutics. The company applies its pioneering expertise in hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) biology, and clinical development to advance innovative medicines for the treatment of anemia, fibrotic disease, and cancer. Roxadustat, the company’s most advanced product candidate, is an oral small molecule inhibitor of HIF prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) activity, completing worldwide Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD), is approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China for CKD patients on dialysis and not on dialysis and by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) in Japan for CKD patients on dialysis. Roxadustat is in Phase 3 clinical development in the U.S. and Europe and in Phase 2/3 development in China for anemia associated with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and in a Phase 2 U.S. trial for treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia. Pamrevlumab, an anti-CTGF human monoclonal antibody, is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pancreatic cancer, and is currently in a Phase 2 trial for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). FibroGen is also developing a biosynthetic cornea in China. For more information, please visit www.fibrogen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding our strategy, future plans and prospects, including statements regarding the development of the company’s product candidates, the potential safety and efficacy profile of our product candidates, and our clinical, regulatory plans, and those of our partners. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, representations and contentions and are not historical facts and typically are identified by use of terms such as “may,” “will”, “should,” “on track,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. Our actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties related to the continued progress and timing of our various programs, including the enrollment and results from ongoing and potential future clinical trials, and other matters that are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and our quarterly report on 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2019 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the risk factors set forth therein. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement in this press release, except as required by law.
Contact
Michael Tung, M.D.
Investor Relations
FibroGen, Inc.
1.415.978.1433
ir@fibrogen.com