Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ $375 million investment into Zymeworks appears to be a smart move, as the two companies announced “impressive” results on Thursday from a Phase II trial of Zymeworks’ HER2-targeted antibody for the treatment of metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. With the promise of an effective therapy, the two companies have high hopes for the promising outcomes of the trial.
The results of the study were incredibly encouraging – a whopping 84% of patients with this type of cancer had survived 18 months after the initial analysis. This is a remarkable victory in the battle against this form of cancer.
Tragically, Gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and is one of the most common types of tumors. Lead trial investigator Elena Elimova, M.D., is spearheading an effort to tackle this issue.
Zymeworks’ groundbreaking drug, zanidatamab, has been successfully coupled with standard, first-line chemotherapy to treat 46 patients with advanced HER2-expressing mGEA from the U.S., Canada and South Korea. This promising combination has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of this condition.
With an 18-month overall survival rate of 79%, the confirmed objective response rate was a remarkable 92%, while the median duration of response was an impressive 20.4 months. These results demonstrate an impressive level of efficacy in treating this condition.
The outlook for esophageal cancer is not good if it has spread to surrounding tissues – the five-year survival rate is a discouraging 26%. If it has metastasized to distant parts of the body, that rate plummets even further to a mere 5%.
In October of last year, Jazz made a major addition to its pipeline by entering into a $50 million licensing agreement with Zymeworks for the drug zanidatamab. Following this, Phase IIb testing of the drug as a monotherapy two months later confirmed an outstanding 41% overall response rate (ORR) in patients with previously treated HER2-amplified and expressing biliary tract cancers.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals made a huge commitment to Zymeworks by opting in on its exclusive rights to the development of zanidatamab, granting the company commercialization rights in the U.S., Europe and Japan. In addition to a $325 million cash infusion, Zymeworks now stands to gain up to an impressive $1.76 billion in regulatory and commercial milestones – a move that will surely pay off in the long run.
Zanidatamab is a revolutionary bispecific antibody with the power to bind two distinct epitopes of HER2! This breakthrough design amplifies HER2 signal blocking and removal of the protein from the cell surface, delivering a powerful punch to tumours.
The FDA has granted the drug Breakthrough Therapy and two Fast Track designations due to its revolutionary potential. It is currently undergoing a pivotal Phase III trial in an effort to secure U.S. and global regulatory approval. Additionally, trials are underway to assess the drug’s efficacy in treating HER2-expressing solid tumors such as biliary tract, colorectal and breast cancers. With such groundbreaking potential, the drug is set to revolutionize treatment options for those living with these devastating diseases.