Emerging Australian biotechnology company Amplia Therapeutics (ASX:ATX) is reporting results that suggest potential new hope for people living with pancreatic cancer.
Melbourne-based Amplia Therapeutics, a company focused on developing targeted cancer therapies, has released updated data from its ongoing ACCENT clinical trial. The findings point to outcomes that stand out in a disease long defined by poor prognosis and limited therapeutic breakthroughs.
The trial is being conducted across multiple sites in Australia and South Korea.
Five patients in the study experienced a complete response, meaning that scans showed no detectable tumours or metastases for a sustained period. In a cohort of 64 patients, that equates to a complete response rate of 7.8 per cent, a significant figure for first-line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.
The company's share price more than doubled following the announcement.
The ACCENT trial is evaluating Amplia’s lead drug, narmafotinib, in combination with the standard chemotherapy regimen of gemcitabine and Abraxane. While still in its early phases, the study has now undergone independent central review using internationally recognised RECIST criteria, strengthening confidence in the findings beyond earlier site-level assessments.
Survival outcomes, the most critical measure in this disease, also show encouraging movement. Patients receiving the combination therapy achieved a median overall survival of 11.1 months, about 2 months longer than typically observed with chemotherapy alone.
Such gains are meaningful in pancreatic cancer, where treatment advances have historically been limited.
The company said the addition of narmafotinib does not appear to increase toxicity beyond what is expected from chemotherapy, an important consideration for patients already undergoing intensive treatment.
Narmafotinib targets focal adhesion kinase, a protein implicated in tumour growth and the dense, fibrotic environment characteristic of pancreatic cancer. By inhibiting this pathway, the drug is designed to make tumours more responsive to chemotherapy, a strategy that appears to be gaining traction in early clinical results.