Clinical Trials

Date: 2017-09-10

Type of information: Presentation of results at a congress

phase: 1

Announcement: presentation of results at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress

Company: Blueprint Medicines (USA - MA)

Product: BLU-554

Action mechanism:

• FGFR4 inhibitor. BLU-554 is a selective inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4).

Disease: advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology

Country:

Trial details:

Latest news:

• • On September 10, 2017, Blueprint Medicines presented updated data from its ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of BLU-554 for the treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress. As of a data cutoff date of August 18, 2017, BLU-554 demonstrated a 16 percent objective response rate (ORR) in patients with FGFR4-driven HCC. In addition, 49 percent of patients with FGFR4-driven HCC had radiographic tumor reduction. BLU-554 was well-tolerated and most adverse events (AEs) reported by investigators were Grade 1 or 2. "
• Updated Data from the Ongoing Phase 1 Clinical Trial: BLU-554 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced HCC. Following the completion of the dose escalation portion of the trial and determination of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 600 mg once daily (QD), Blueprint Medicines initiated the expansion portion of the trial. As of the data cutoff of August 18, 2017, 77 patients had been treated with BLU-554 in the dose escalation and expansion portions of the Phase 1 clinical trial at five dose levels (ranging from 140 mg QD to 900 mg QD), including 44 patients with FGFR4-driven HCC. FGFR4-driven HCC was defined as at least one percent tumor expression of FGF19, the FGFR4 ligand, as measured by an immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. In general, the enrolled population was heavily pretreated: 82 percent received prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment, 23 percent received prior immunotherapy, and 91 percent received prior systemic therapy.
• Pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis demonstrated rapid oral absorption across all dose levels, with a mean half-life of approximately 17 hours and exposure in the expected therapeutic range based on HCC xenograft models. Collectively, these data support a once-daily dosing regimen.
• Safety Data: As of the data cutoff of August 18, 2017, the majority of AEs reported by investigators were Grade 1 or 2. Across all grades, the most common AEs reported by investigators related to BLU-554 included diarrhea (71%), nausea (42%), vomiting (36%), transaminase elevation (AST 34% and ALT 32%) and fatigue (29%). Grade 3 or higher AEs related to BLU-554 occurring in five or more patients included anemia, diarrhea and transaminase elevation (AST and ALT). Among all 77 patients treated with BLU-554, 58 patients discontinued treatment with BLU-554, including 42 patients due to disease progression, 11 patients due to treatment-related AEs, three patients who withdrew consent and two patients due to the investigator's decision.
• Clinical Activity Data: As of the data cutoff of August 18, 2017, 67 patients were evaluable for response assessment. An additional 10 patients were treated with BLU-554 as of the data cutoff date but were not evaluable for response assessment. Response was assessed using the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1.
• In patients with FGFR4-driven HCC (n=38), the data showed an ORR of 16 percent (95 percent confidence interval 6-31 percent). In addition, 49 percent of patients had radiographic tumor reduction, and clinical activity was observed regardless of disease etiology or geography. As of the data cutoff date:
• One patient had an unconfirmed complete response. Five patients had a partial response, with four confirmed and one unconfirmed. An additional 20 patients had stable disease, representing a disease control rate of 68 percent. No responses were observed in patients without FGFR4 pathway activation (n=29). Among all 77 patients treated with BLU-554, 19 remained on treatment as of the data cutoff date, including 15 patients with FGFR4-driven HCC. Median progression free survival was 3.7 months among patients with FGFR4-driven HCC.
• In addition, five TKI-naïve patients with FGFR4-driven HCC were evaluable for response assessment as of the data cutoff date. Within this group, preliminary evidence of prolonged disease control was observed. Two TKI-naïve patients remain on treatment as of the data cutoff with a duration of treatment of 11.4 months and 12.3 months, respectively.
• Clinical Development Plans for BLU-554: Blueprint Medicines plans to continue to enroll and follow the cohort of patients with FGFR4-driven HCC in the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial to further evaluate the safety and clinical activity of BLU-554 in this population. In addition, the Company plans to initiate an additional cohort in this clinical trial in the first quarter of 2018 to evaluate BLU-554 in TKI-naïve patients with FGFR4-driven HCC. Blueprint Medicines also plans to explore opportunities to conduct a clinical trial to evaluate BLU-554 in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor

Is general: Yes