Zymeworks' Zanidatamab Aces Mid-Stage Esophageal Cancer Trial - BeiGene (NASDAQ:BGNE), Novartis (NYSE:NVS), Zymeworks (NASDAQ:ZYME)

At the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress 2021 (ESMO21), Zymeworks Inc ZYME presented encouraging early data on its HER2‑targeted bispecific antibody.
Twenty-eight patients were deemed evaluable.
Zymeworks’ zanidatamab, combined with one of two chemotherapy regimens, posted an overall response rate of 75% in patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) who had not previously received a HER2-targeted cancer therapy.
The overall disease control rate (DCR) was 89%.
There was one complete response and 20 partial responses.
Meanwhile, the median duration of response was 16.4 months, with a median progression-free survival of one year across all patients. At the cutoff, 61% of patients were still in the study.
Zymeworks plans to pursue a Phase 3 study with the combination of zanidatamab and the chemo regimen known as CAPOX/FP.
The combo regime posted a response rate of 93% and DCR of 100%.
Zymeworks plans to launch with BeiGene Ltd BGNE HERIZON-GEA-01 study in Q4.
The planned trial will test the zanidatamab-CAPOX combo with or without PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab in a head-to-head matchup with the trastuzumab (Herceptin)-chemo standard of care in first-line advanced GEA.
Novartis AG NVS in-licensed tislelizumab from BeiGene in North America, Europe, and Japan.
Price Action: ZYME stock is up 5.93% at $34.99 during the market session on the last check Thursday.
Check out our coverage of the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO21)

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs