Tivantinib Meets Study Endpoint

ArQule Inc. and Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. announced that a Phase 2 trial data using tivantinib as a single agent investigational second-line treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) met its primary endpoint. Now the full results from this trial will be presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of American Society of Clinical Oncology, including positive data in the pre-defined c-MET high population. Additional clinical data with tivantinib will be featured in two poster discussions and two general poster sessions.

“These findings represent the first randomized data reported with an investigational c-MET inhibitor administered as a single agent second-line treatment in HCC,” said Paolo Pucci, chief executive officer of ArQule. “They clearly define c-MET high patients as a biological subgroup for potential targeted therapy with tivantinib. The robust statistical significance achieved in this trial reflects the anti-cancer activity of tivantinib alone and expands its therapeutic potential.”

Data from the HCC trial demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in time-to-progression (HR=0.43, log rank p-value=0.03), accompanied by significant improvements in progression-free survival and disease control rate among second-line patients with c-MET high tumors who were treated with tivantinib. In addition, overall survival data were observed favoring tivantinib-treated patients in this population. Efficacy was similar in the two tivantinib dosing subgroups (360 milligrams twice daily and 240 milligrams twice daily), with less frequent neutropenia in the lower dose.

Previously announced top-line data from the HCC trial demonstrate that treatment with tivantinib produced a statistically significant 56 percent improvement in TTP in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population by central radiology review, the primary endpoint (HR = 0.64, log rank p-value = 0.04) in this trial. Adverse events were reported at similar rates in the treatment and placebo arms, except for a higher incidence of fatigue and hematologic events, including neutropenia and anemia, in tivantinib-treated patients. The incidence of hematologic events declined following dose reduction of tivantinib from 360 milligrams twice daily to 240 milligrams twice daily.

Ref : http://investors.arqule.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=674815