K-Bios make progress in new rare lung cancer drug dev

Through clinical drug, R&D expense support

Abion Bio’svabametkib shows commercialization potential through the supply of Leclaza for research purposes

InnoCure Therapeutics’s targeted protein degradation-based drug is selected as a national new drug development project

The c-MET-mutation-targeted NSCLC drugs that are being developed by Korean pharma and biotech companies have been recognized for their potential.

 

Recently, Abion Bio signed an agreement with Janssen to receive Leclaza (lasertinib) free of charge.

 

This agreement will allow Abion Bio to commercialize the combination of its in-development vabametkib and Leclaza for the treatment of lung cancer.

 

InnoCure Therapeutics’s targeted therapy has been recognized for its value by being selected as a national new drug development project According to industry sources on the 13th, Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen will provide domestic biotech Abion Bio free lasertinib for its EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) clinical trial.

 

Abion Bio’s NSCLC drug candidate in development is vabametkib, which targets the c-MET mutation.

 

c-MET is a protein expressed by the mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) gene.

 

It is one of the proteins that transmit signals to cells and is considered a typical oncogene and is associated with the development of various solid cancers, including lung, colon, stomach, and liver cancers.

 

It is estimated that 6% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer harbor a c-MET mutation.

 

Janssen will be testing lasertinib’s potential in EGFR-positive NSCLC in combination with Abion Bio’s vabametkib.

 

Approximately 30-40% of patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC develop a c-MET mutation after receiving a prior EGFR targeting therapy.

 

In clinical results, vabametkib demonstrated an objective response rate (ORR) of 52.9% in patients with c-MET-mutated NSCLC who failed prior treatment.

 

In previously untreated patients, the ORR was 75%.

 

In terms of safety, vabametkib’s incidence of grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events (TRAE) was 10%.

 

This was lower than the TRAE rates of 38% and 28% identified with Novartis' Tabrecta and Merck's Tepmetko.

 

Abion is aiming to develop vabametkib as a treatment for EGFR-mutant NSCLC in combination with Leclaza and as monotherapy for MET-mutant NSCLC.

 

InnoCure develops c-MET-mutated lung cancer treatment with target protein degrader

InnoCure Therapeutics has also made progress in the development of c-MET lung cancer therapies.

 

Recently, the company's new drug candidate was selected as an R&D project to support the establishment of a new drug ecosystem that is being organized by the Korea Drug Development Fund.

 

InnoCure develops new drugs with next-generation target protein degrader (TPD) technology.

 

The company is focused on the development of new drugs for non-small cell lung cancer by utilizing its main technologies, ELKBIL, NEOELKBIL platform, and its oral formulation platform MILPROTAC.

 

InnoCure Based on its TPD technology, Innocure has been developing a c-MET targeted inhibitor for the treatment of NSCLC.

 

With the selection of this new drug development project, the company plans to derive new drug candidates and conduct research to enter clinical trials.

 

While there is a treatment available for MET exon 14 deletion among c-MET mutations, no other targeted therapies are available on the market.

 

InnoCure Therapeutics aims to address this unmet need by degrading the c-MET target protein.