A wealth of clinical trial data has had a positive impact on ASX small cap health and biotech stocks.

Shares in Kazia Therapeutics (ASX:KZA) got a 7 per cent boost yesterday to 48.5c after it announced it would immediately begin recruiting for the second part of its Phase IIa clinical trial testing its drug in newly-diagnosed glioblastoma — brain cancer — patients.

  • Scroll down for the ASX’s other recent clinical trial movements

Kazia is developing GDC-0084 for the 65 per cent of glioblastoma patients who will not respond to existing treatment such as temozolomide. Yesterday, it announced it had received new safety data from the initial part of the study showing that patients could safely tolerate 60mg of the drug – 15mg more than was found to be safe in Phase I trials, which were conducted by the previous custodians of the drug, Genetech.

It is now recruiting 20 patients for the second part of the study, which will evaluate efficacy of the 60mg dose. Kazia hopes to report data by the end of the calendar year, Dr James Garner, company CEO said.

“This is an important milestone, and we are very encouraged by these results. Genetech’s original phase I study examined GDC-0084 in very advanced patients, who are often less able to tolerate therapy,” he said.

“When we licensed the drug from Genentech, we recognised the opportunity to refocus around newly-diagnosed patients, who are often in generally better health. The fact that the drug appears better tolerated here than in the previous study validates our strategy for GDC-0084, and bodes well for the clinical efficacy of the drug.”


 

In other ASX clinical trial news

Positive data from Alterity Therapeutics (ASX:ATH) sent shares up 5pc. The company’s lead candidate for treatment of neurodegeneration, PBT434, showed that in addition to crossing the blood brain barrier in humans, the clinically tested doses achieve concentrations in the brain that exceed those associated with efficacy in animal models of disease.
 
Cynata Therapeutics (ASX:CYP) is close to starting a new trial. Cynata will progress directly to a Phase II trial testing its stem cell product CYP-002 in patients with critical limb ischaemia and told investors it hoped recruitment would begin before the end of the calendar year. Shares fluctuated between $1.11 and $1.19.
 
Dog cancer fighters PharmAust (ASX:PAA) released more positive data. Latest results show that the company’s dog cancer pill remains in the bloodstream for longer than expected, which boosts the scope of upcoming Phase II trials. Shares rose 6pc to 3.4c.
 
Another animal lover, CannPal (ASX:CP1), jumped 7pc to 16c. The company, testing medicinal cannabis in companion animals, released a presentation it made at the 2019 Australian Veterinary Association Symposium on Sunday, showing positive safety data.
 
But ImpediMed (ASX:IPD) falls on “practice-changing” news. ImpediMed shares dropped as much as 26 per cent to 19.5c, despite the company releasing interim results from its lymphoedema prevention trial in breast cancer devices. That was because the results were not statistically significant, though ImpediMed said they were “early, positive, practice-changing” results due to being clinically meaningful.

At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While Cynata Therapeutics is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.

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