ASX Health Stocks: Race Oncology up 8pc on compelling results for kidney cancer drug Zantrene

The ASX 200 Health Index (XHJ) is up by 1.40% at the time of writing, compared to the broader index which is up by 1.05%.

Race Oncology (ASX:RAC) jumped 8.75% this morning after releasing compelling pre-clinical kidney cancer results for its lead drug, Zantrene.

The study concluded that Zantrene on its own and in combination with known kidney cancer drugs can kill kidney cancer cells at clinically relevant concentrations.

Race says these results support advancing Zantrene into the clinic as a possible new treatment option for advanced kidney cancer patients.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer, comprising over 70% of renal tumours.

While a relatively rare cancer, accounting for approximately 2% of global cancer diagnoses and deaths, it has more than doubled in incidence over the past half-century, and today is the ninth most common cancer in the developed world.

“The results from Prof Verrill’s laboratory are highly encouraging and supportive of our clinical plans for Zantrene in kidney cancer,” said Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Daniel Tillett.

“Advanced kidney cancer has a large unmet need for improved treatment options, and Zantrene in combination with existing treatments may offer new hope for patients with this devastating disease.”

Race Oncology share price today:

Immutep gets feedback from the FDA

Immuno-oncology company Immutep (ASX:IMM) was up 2.5% after announcing that it has received positive feedback from the US FDA regarding its clinical program for lead product candidate, alpha (efti or IMP321), in metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

The FDA has agreed to support Immutep’s view to continue exploring the development of efti in a new registrational trial.

This advice is consistent with the feedback received from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in October last year, which also supported the continuation of the efti Phase III clinical trial.

The planned new registrational trial, AIPAC-003, will be based on Immutep’s completed AIPAC trial, but with an optimised design directed at patients who are likely to benefit most from the treatment.

As the new trial will take place across multiple countries, additional regulatory interactions are ongoing, including with the FDA and EMA.

“We are very pleased to have now received feedback from both the FDA and the EMA as part of our ongoing process to design a new registrational trial in MBC,” commented Immutep CSO & CMO, Dr Frederic Triebel.

“Many of these MBC patients do not respond well to conventional immune checkpoint inhibitors, and so it is important that we continue to advance efti, with its unique mechanism of action and a carefully designed trial,” he said.