The publication of an abstract detailing pivotal clinical trial data has significantly boosted the stock price of Merus N.V. (NASDAQ: MRUS) by 36.12% to conclude the weekend session at $59.99.
Abstract Publication And Conference Call Announcement
Merus (MRUS) announced the availability of an abstract on the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting website for 2024 that discusses petosemtamab and pembrolizumab combination treatment.
In order to assess the combination’s effectiveness in first-line (1L) recurrent/metastatic (r/m) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), this presentation provides early clinical data from a cohort of 26 patients enrolled before the cutoff date.
Given the low frequency of Grade 3 or higher adverse events and the few infusion-related responses, Merus has expressed confidence about the combination’s safety and effectiveness.
Promising Early Results And Anticipated Mature Data
Despite the early cutoff date, the abstract data indicate promising efficacy. Merus is particularly encouraged by the combination therapy’s tolerability and safety profile, highlighting the potential for petosemtamab to set a new standard in head and neck cancer treatment.
The interim data will be further elaborated upon in the upcoming conference call, where more mature clinical updates, showing an improved response rate, will be discussed.
Clinical Observations And Adverse Event Profile
The observations as of the November 6, 2023 data cutoff include:
- A total of 26 patients treated, with 24 continuing therapy.
- Of the 10 evaluable patients, 6 exhibited responses: 1 confirmed complete response, 2 confirmed partial responses, and 3 unconfirmed partial responses according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors v1.1.
Overall, the combination treatment was well tolerated, and no notable overlapping toxicities were noted. All patients experienced treatment-emergent adverse events, most of which were of Grade 1 or 2 severity. Just 3.8% of patients experienced Grade 3 responses, which were completely cured after the first infusion. In total, 26.9% of patients had reactions associated to infusions.
This encouraging early data positions Merus’ combination therapy as a potential frontrunner in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, with further insights expected from the detailed discussions at the upcoming ASCO conference.
