Immuneering's Atebimetinib Shows Promise in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Immuneering Corporation has reported encouraging results from a mid-stage clinical trial of its investigational drug atebimetinib in pancreatic cancer patients. The study, which combined atebimetinib with standard chemotherapies, demonstrated significant improvements in overall survival and progression-free survival compared to current treatment standards.

Compelling Survival Data

In the latest data readout, patients receiving atebimetinib plus gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel as a first-line therapy showed an 86% overall survival rate at 9 months. This nearly doubles the approximately 47% overall survival rate typically observed with standard of care at the same time point. Notably, the median overall survival for the atebimetinib arm had not yet been reached at the time of analysis.

Progression-free survival also showed marked improvement, with 53% of patients in the atebimetinib group maintaining progression-free status at 9 months, compared to 29% for those on standard treatments.

These results build upon previously reported 6-month data, which showed a 94% overall survival rate and 72% progression-free survival rate for the atebimetinib combination, compared to 67% and 44%, respectively, for standard of care.

Mechanism of Action and Future Plans

Atebimetinib is an oral, once-daily deep cyclic inhibitor of the MEK protein, a key signaling molecule in cancer-related pathways. Unlike traditional MEK inhibitors that maintain sustained target inhibition, atebimetinib works in pulses, potentially leading to slower but more durable anti-tumor activity.

Immuneering notes that MEK is "pathologically activated" in most cancers, including 97% of pancreatic cancers, highlighting the potential broad applicability of their approach.

The company is now working with the FDA to design a pivotal study, with feedback expected in the fourth quarter of this year. Immuneering aims to launch a registrational trial by the end of 2025, with patient dosing anticipated to begin by mid-2026.

Financial Developments and Expansion Plans

Following the announcement of these results, Immuneering's stock saw significant gains, rising 7.5% at market close on Wednesday and an additional 8.3% in pre-market trading Thursday. The company has also announced a public offering of $175 million worth of shares, coupled with a $25 million investment from Sanofi.

Looking ahead, Immuneering plans to initiate additional trial combination arms for atebimetinib, including studies in non-small cell lung cancer, further expanding the potential applications of this promising compound.