PRESS RELEASE
NEW INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION IN THE
PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC REVIEW CELLS CONFIRMS THE ROLE OF
MASITINIB AS A POTENTIAL THERAPY IN PANCREATIC CANCER
IDENTIFICATION OF TWO TISSUE BIOMARKERS
THAT COULD POTENTIALLY SERVE AS PREDICTIVE BIOMARKERS OF RESPONSE
FOR MASITINIB TREATMENT
Paris, 23 February 2021, 8am CET
AB Science SA (NYSE Euronext -
FR0010557264 - AB) today announced the publication of a
peer-reviewed research article in which the authors conclude that
inhibition of mast cells with masitinib could represent a novel
antiangiogenetic approach in pancreatic cancer (antiangiogenic
therapies reduce the growth of new blood vessels needed by tumors
to grow and metastasize). The article, entitled ‘Mast Cells
Positive for c‐Kit Receptor and Tryptase Correlate with
Angiogenesis in Cancerous and Adjacent Normal Pancreatic Tissue’,
[1] is freely accessible online from the Cells journal site
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/2/444
This study examined mast cell activity through
immunohistochemistry and image analysis, in a series of
non-metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. Results showed that:
- Various markers of mast cell activity were increased in
pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissue as compared with adjacent
normal tissue.
- Mast cells are strongly associated with angiogenesis in
pancreatic cancer tissue.
- The density of mast cells positive for tryptase (MCDPT) and
area of mast cells positive for tryptase (MCAPT) are tissue
biomarkers that could be predictive of response to masitinib
(anti‐c‐Kit therapy).
This research supports results from the
confirmatory phase 3 study, AB12005, that evaluated masitinib at
6.0 mg/kg/day in combination with gemcitabine as a first-line
treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic
cancer patients with pain; pain being hypothesized to be a marker
of mast cell activation.
Andrew Hendifar, MD, MPH, Head of
Gastrointestinal Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles said: “This research provides new and robust evidence
confirming the relevance of targeting mast cells in pancreatic
cancer. Furthermore, the identified tissue biomarkers could
potentially be used as an alternative or additional marker to pain
when initiating masitinib treatment in patients with locally
advanced pancreatic cancer.”
As a reminder [2], study AB12005 met its primary
objective to demonstrate increase in survival in pancreatic cancer
patients with pain. In the population with unresectable locally
advanced tumors with pain, the masitinib treatment-arm showed a
significant improvement in overall survival (OS) relative to the
control arm. The between group difference in median OS was 1.8
months (p=0.007) in favor of masitinib (13.0 months in masitinib
arm versus 11.2 months in control group), with a 0.46 hazard ratio
(HR) of death, which represents a reduction in risk of death of 54%
for masitinib-treated patients relative to control. Results on the
primary endpoint were consistent with secondary analysis in
progression free survival (PFS), which measures the time to tumor
progression or death (whichever occurs first) from the start of
treatment. The between group difference in median PFS was 1.8
months (p=0.039) in favor of masitinib (7.4 months in masitinib arm
versus 5.6 months in control group), with a 0.47 hazard ratio
representing a reduction in risk of having a progression or death
of 53%. The safety of masitinib 6.0 mg/kg/day in combination with
gemcitabine compared favorably to that of gemcitabine as a single
agent, with fewer adverse event and severe adverse events reported
in the masitinib arm as compared with the control arm.
[1] Ammendola, M.; Curr, G.; Laface, C.; Zuccal,
V.; Memeo, R.; Luposella, F.; Laforgia, M.; Zizzo, N.; Zito, A.;
Loisi, D.; et al. Mast Cells Positive for c‐Kit Receptor and
Tryptase Correlate with Angiogenesis in Cancerous and Adjacent
Normal Pancreatic Tissue. Cells 2021, 10, 444.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10020444
[2] AB Science press release. Dec 04,2020.
http://www.ab-science.com/years/2020/
About CellsCells is an
international, peer-reviewed, open access, journal of cell biology,
molecular biology, and biophysics. Cells is published monthly
online by MDPI.
About masitinibMasitinib is a
new orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets mast
cells and macrophages, important cells for immunity, through
inhibiting a limited number of kinases. Based on its unique
mechanism of action, masitinib can be developed in a large number
of conditions in oncology, in inflammatory diseases, and in certain
diseases of the central nervous system. In oncology due to its
immunotherapy effect, masitinib can have an effect on survival,
alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Through its activity on
mast cells and microglia and consequently the inhibition of the
activation of the inflammatory process, masitinib can have an
effect on the symptoms associated with some inflammatory and
central nervous system diseases and the degeneration of these
diseases.
About AB ScienceFounded in
2001, AB Science is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the
research, development and commercialization of protein kinase
inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins whose action are
key in signaling pathways within cells. Our programs target only
diseases with high unmet medical needs, often lethal with short
term survival or rare or refractory to previous line of treatment.
AB Science has developed a proprietary portfolio of molecules and
the Company’s lead compound, masitinib, has already been registered
for veterinary medicine and is developed in human medicine in
oncology, neurological diseases, and inflammatory diseases. The
company is headquartered in Paris, France, and listed on Euronext
Paris (ticker: AB).
Further information is available on AB Science’s website:
www.ab-science.com.
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identified by the words "expect", "anticipate", "believe",
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While AB Science believes these forward-looking statements are
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generally, any factors that may affect marketing capacity of the
products developed by AB Science, as well as those developed or
identified in the public documents filed by AB Science with the
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with the AMF on November 22, 2016, under the number R. 16-078. AB
Science disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update the
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applicable regulations, in particular articles 223-1 et seq. of the
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For additional information, please contact:
AB ScienceFinancial
Communication & Media Relations investors@ab-science.com
Media Relations – USA
RooneyPartnersJeffrey
Freedmanjfreedman@rooneyco.com
+1 646 432 0191
Media Relations – France
NewCapArthur
Rouilléarouille@newcap.fr
+33 (0)1 44 71 00 15
- Masitinib Pancreas Eng VF
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