Aslan Pharmaceuticals Ltd ADR (NASDAQ:ASLN) presented data at ASCO from a Phase Ib dosing study examining varlitinib in combination with carboplatin, paclitaxel and Herceptin. Patients were enrolled across a range of cancers, but the majority (20/37) were HER2+ metastatic breast cancer patients. The drug demonstrated efficacy across the study and the addition of Herceptin at the optimal dose did not induce toxicity, suggesting the potential of future combinations.
Tolerable dose combination with Herceptin found
The study examined 37 patients with a median three prior therapies. It was structured as a dose de-escalation study, so the rate of dose-limiting toxicities were high by design, but largely in line with other chemotherapy combination regimens. These events included neutropenia and electrolyte disorders. Carboplatin combinations were not tolerated, but Herceptin had no effect in the arm in which it was tested.