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Avacta Group PLC on Wednesday said new data demonstrated that its drug caused ‘robust and meaningful’ tumour shrinkage in patients with salivary gland cancer. The London-based life sciences company, focused on developing a tumour-activated oncology delivery platform, said the data confirmed partial and minor responses in patients enrolled in the ongoing phase 1b trial of faridoxorubicin. Faridoxorubicin is the first peptide drug conjugate in Avacta’s pipeline. PDCs are targeted therapies which enable selective drug delivery to cancer cells. This data, which the company said demonstrated ‘robust and meaningful’ tumour shrinkage, was consistent with that of the phase 1a part of the study. The combined disease control rate was 90% across both phase 1a and phase 1b patients, Avacta said. In the trial’s cohort, of the 30 patients with salivary gland cancer, nine experienced clinically meaningful disease shrinkage, including two confirmed partial responses and seven minor responses. Salivary gland cancer is a disease that does not respond to chemotherapy and has a five-year survival rate of under half in advanced stage disease, Avacta cited from an American Cancer Society study. The company said enrolment will continue in this cohort with further data updates across the phase 1a and phase 1b cohorts expected in the first half of 2026. ‘These data continue to reinforce our belief in the transformative potential of our preCISION peptide drug conjugates to expand the therapeutic index and increase the efficacy of highly potent therapeutics and further strengthens our confidence across our broader pipeline,’ said Chief Executive Christina Coughlin. ‘SGC cancer is a devastating disease with no established standard of care treatment options. The clinically meaningful tumor shrinkage and prolonged progression free survival we have observed in the study highlight faridoxorubicin’s potential as an important new treatment option for patients with SGC and other solid tumors. The Phase 1b data will mature as we continue to collect the survival data in this cohort.’ Shares in Avacta fell 11% to 70.33 pence on Wednesday afternoon in London. Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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