SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Odonate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODT), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of best-in-class therapeutics that improve and extend the lives of patients with cancer, today announced the initiation of CONTESSA TRIO, a multi-cohort, multicenter, Phase 2 study of tesetaxel, Odonate’s investigational, orally administered taxane.
- In Cohort 1, approximately 90 patients (with potential expansion to up to 150 patients) with locally advanced or metastatic TNBC who have not received prior chemotherapy for advanced disease will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive tesetaxel plus either: (1) nivolumab; (2) pembrolizumab; or (3) atezolizumab. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab (PD-1 inhibitors) and atezolizumab (a PD-L1 inhibitor) are IO agents approved for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. One of these agents, atezolizumab, in combination with the intravenously delivered taxane, nab-paclitaxel, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic TNBC. The dual primary endpoints for Cohort 1 are objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints include duration of response (DoR) and overall survival (OS). Efficacy results for each of the three PD-(L)1 inhibitor combinations will be assessed for correlation with the results of each of the three approved PD-L1 diagnostic assays.
- In Cohort 2, approximately 40 elderly patients (with potential expansion to up to 60 patients) with HER2 negative MBC who have not received prior chemotherapy for advanced disease will receive tesetaxel monotherapy. The primary endpoint for Cohort 2 is ORR. Secondary endpoints include PFS, DoR and OS.
“Taxane-IO combinations hold great promise for patients living with TNBC,” said Sara Tolaney, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Director, Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers, Director, Clinical Trials, Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Principal Investigator of CONTESSA TRIO. “This study will investigate the safety and antitumor activity of tesetaxel, an orally administered taxane with a distinct tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile, in combination with three approved PD-(L)1 inhibitors. CONTESSA TRIO also will investigate tesetaxel monotherapy in elderly patients with MBC, a patient population in need of easier-to-take and better tolerated therapies.”
About Tesetaxel
Tesetaxel is an investigational, orally administered chemotherapy agent that belongs to a class of drugs known as taxanes, which are widely used in the treatment of cancer. Tesetaxel has several pharmacologic properties that make it unique among taxanes, including: oral administration with a low pill burden; a long (~8-day) terminal plasma half-life in humans, enabling the maintenance of adequate drug levels with relatively infrequent dosing; no history of hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions; and significant activity against chemotherapy-resistant tumors. In patients with metastatic breast cancer, tesetaxel was shown to have significant, single-agent antitumor activity in two multicenter, Phase 2 studies.
About CONTESSA TRIO
CONTESSA TRIO is a multi-cohort, multicenter, Phase 2 study of tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered taxane, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In Cohort 1, approximately 90 patients (with potential expansion to up to 150 patients) with locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have not received prior chemotherapy for advanced disease will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive tesetaxel dosed orally at 27 mg/m2 on the first day of each 21-day cycle plus either: (1) nivolumab at 360 mg by intravenous infusion on the first day of each 21-day cycle; (2) pembrolizumab at 200 mg by intravenous infusion on the first day of each 21-day cycle; or (3) atezolizumab at 1,200 mg by intravenous infusion on the first day of each 21-day cycle. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab (PD-1 inhibitors) and atezolizumab (a PD-L1 inhibitor) are immuno-oncology (IO) agents approved for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. One of these agents, atezolizumab, in combination with the intravenously delivered taxane, nab-paclitaxel, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic TNBC. The dual primary endpoints for Cohort 1 are objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints include duration of response (DoR) and overall survival (OS). Efficacy results for each of the three PD-(L)1 inhibitor combinations will be assessed for correlation with the results of each of the three approved PD-L1 diagnostic assays. In Cohort 2, approximately 40 elderly patients (with potential expansion to up to 60 patients) with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative MBC will receive tesetaxel monotherapy dosed orally at 27 mg/m2 on the first day of each 21-day cycle. The primary endpoint for Cohort 2 is ORR. Secondary endpoints include PFS, DoR and OS. Patients with central nervous system metastases are eligible for both cohorts.
About Odonate Therapeutics, Inc.
Odonate Therapeutics, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of best-in-class therapeutics that improve and extend the lives of patients with cancer. Odonate’s initial focus is on the development of tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered chemotherapy agent that belongs to a class of drugs known as taxanes, which are widely used in the treatment of cancer. Odonate’s goal for tesetaxel is to develop an effective chemotherapy choice for patients that provides quality-of-life advantages over current alternatives. To learn more, please visit www.odonate.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release and involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from what we currently expect. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those associated with: the expected outcome of CONTESSA, our Phase 3 study of tesetaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (LA/MBC); the expected outcome of our other clinical studies, including CONTESSA 2 and CONTESSA TRIO; our ability to obtain regulatory approval of tesetaxel; the unpredictable relationship between preclinical study results and clinical study results; and other risks and uncertainties identified in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements in this press release apply only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
