Amgen Inc. said its KRAS inhibitor dubbed AMG 510 showed tumor stopping and reducing capabilities in an early-stage study consisting of patients with lung, colon and appendix cancers, according to data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology's 2019 scientific meeting.
KRAS inhibitors target a mutation in a group of proteins called RAS that signal between cells. Mutations to these signal proteins appear in about a third of all human cancers and have been studied for more than 30 years as a possible treatment for these cancers.
A specific mutation known as KRAS G12C is found in about 13% of non-small cell lung cancers, 3% to 5% of colon cancers and 1% to 2% of numerous other solid tumors. About 30,000 patients are diagnosed each year in the U.S. with KRAS G12C-mutant cancers, according to a Sept. 28 news release.
The ongoing phase 1 study enrolled 76 patients with KRAS G12C-mutant solid tumors. The data being presented at ESMO includes a subset of 55 evaluable patients with colon, appendix and non-small cell lung cancers, according to a Sept. 28 news release.
California-based Amgen said 29 patients had colon cancer among the evaluable population, 12 of whom received the target dose of 960 mg of AMG 510 once daily and 10 of whom remain on treatment. One patient in this group saw a reduction in their disease and 10 had stable disease for a disease control rate of 92%.
The company said 13 of the evaluable patients with non-small cell lung cancer received the target dose, with seven patients seeing a reduction in their cancer at one or more time points and six patients seeing their disease remain stable, for a disease control rate of 100%. In addition, one patient with appendix cancer saw a reduction in their tumor and one experienced stable disease.
Among the 76 patients enrolled across treatment groups, 52 remain on treatment.
Earlier in June, the company disclosed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting that AMG 510 stopped tumor growth in patients with lung and colorectal cancer in an early-stage study.
David Reese, Amgen's executive vice president of research and development, said in a statement that the company is initiating combination studies to further explore the potential of AMG 510 in lung and colorectal tumors.
Other companies developing treatments for KRAS mutations are Mirati Therapeutics Inc. and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals Inc. The National Cancer Institute also launched an initiative in the space in 2013.
The European Society for Medical Oncology is holding its 2019 scientific meeting in Barcelona, where more than 3,900 study abstracts have been submitted for review by oncology professionals from around the world.
