An unfortunately high percentage of mesothelioma patients are diagnosed with treatment-resistant disease, leaving them with even fewer options in the face of an already bleak prognosis. But attendees at October’s European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin learned that biotech company Vivace Therapeutics achieved a 32 percent objective response rate with its investigational drug VT3989. In results presented at the conference and published in Nature Medicine, the company reported that in its ongoing phase 1/2 trial, seven out of 22 evaluated patients’ tumors shrank by at least 30 percent, while 12 others had their tumor size stabilize.
Biotech Company Doubles Cancer-Free Progression in 22 Mesothelioma Patients
The Bay Area biotech company revealed that the 22 mesothelioma patients enrolled in its study survived without cancer progression for a median of 40 weeks, more than double the 15-week benchmark for standard-of-care salvage chemotherapy treatment. As a result, Vivace plans to launch a phase 3 registrational study in the first half of 2026.
There were a total of 172 total enrolled participants in the company’s study, and neither the mesothelioma patients nor other solid tumor patients in the trial experienced dose-limiting toxicities. Only 3.5 percent discontinued treatment due to adverse events, and most side effects experienced were classified as mild or moderate in severity. The trial enrolled 135 patients with mesothelioma along with patients having other solid tumors, including meningioma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, and sarcoma. Among those, 22 mesothelioma patients received the optimized dose of VT3989.
Researcher Sees Real Potential for Mesothelioma Patients
Dr. Timothy Yap, a medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center and lead investigator of the phase ½ trial, said that the initial findings make a compelling case for VT3989’s therapeutic potential in treating mesothelioma. With the rare, asbestos-related cancer presenting such significant treatment challenges and so few therapeutic options beyond first-line therapies, the strength of the efficacy findings combined with the encouraging safety profile support further studies.
If VE3989, the drug that delivered such encouraging results in mesothelioma patients, is approved by the FDA, it would be the first to target the Hippo pathway that controls cell growth, migration, and death. Researchers have found that many cancer cells, including mesothelioma, have an overactive Hippo pathway. The investigational compound is designed to dampen this overexcited system by inhibiting a group of transcription factors called TEAD, which play key roles in regulating the Hippo pathway. This represents a potential first-in-class mechanism of action for treating this deadly disease.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, this research represents a significant reason for hope. For more information on the resources available to you, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
