Luoxin Pharmaceutical's LX-039 (Innovative Anti-Tumor Drug): Phase I Clinical Study Data Presented at ESMO 2023

SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From October 20 to 24, the 2023 ESMO Congress was held in Madrid, Spain. LX-039, an innovative anti-tumor drug developed by Luoxin Pharmaceuticals Group Stock Co., Ltd. (Luoxin Pharmaceutical), was selected for poster presentation at the 2023 ESMO Annual Congress.

ESMO is one of the most influential oncology conferences globally, attracting over 30,000 professionals every year from more than 150 countries and regions. The Congress covers basic research, translational research, and the latest advancements in clinical studies, providing an exchange platform in clinical diagnosis, treatment, and academic discussions.

LX-039 is an innovative selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) for oral administration. The aims of the dose escalation and expansion phase I study was to explore the safety, tolerability, efficacy, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) profiles of LX-039 in postmenopausal patients with ER+ and HER2- advanced breast cancer who have failed endocrine therapy. The study was led by Professor Hu Xichun from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center.

In a 3+3 design, the trial evaluated the safety and tolerability from a daily dose of 50 mg to 1200 mg, with two dosage groups selected for expansion. [¹⁸F] Fluoroestradiol PET/CT imaging was used for PD study. All 44 enrolled subjects had previously undergone multiple lines of endocrine therapy. Specifically, 72.7% had received second-line therapy or higher. More than half had been treated with fulvestrant, a medication commonly used for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Also, over 50% had received advanced chemotherapy, and 40.9% had been treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was not reached in this study. Most adverse events are graded as mild to moderate (grade 1-2). The exposure of LX-039 increased along with the dose escalation, and no obvious accumulation after multiple doses. Inhibition of the ER pathway is observed in all subjects participating in the PD exploration. Four subjects achieved partial response, with an objective response rate of 10.8% and a clinical benefit rate at 24 weeks of 40%. LX-039 demonstrates good tolerability and PK/PD properties in ER+ and HER2- advanced breast cancer and shows preliminary anti-tumor activity. These encouraging results suggest that LX-039 holds great potential for further development. Consequently, a phase II study is under planning.

About 75% of breast cancer cases are classified as ER+. This subtype of breast cancer relies on the estrogen signaling pathway for its growth and progression. The primary therapeutic approach for ER+ breast cancer involves inhibiting the estrogen signaling pathway through various methods. Notably, drugs like tamoxifen and fulvestrant have been utilized in clinical settings to target the ER pathway. However, tamoxifen resistance and treatment non-compliance with fulvestrant have led to unmet clinical needs.

LX-039, an orally administered selective ER degrader (SERD) developed by Louxin Pharmaceutical, specifically focuses on modulating the estrogen signaling pathway. It antagonizes ER actions and promotes its ubiquitination and degradation within breast cancer cells, downregulating ER expression. LX-039 offers unique therapeutic benefits compared to selective ER modulators and aromatase inhibitors. Additionally, its oral formulation enhances patient convenience and compliance, as it eliminates the need for injections. There are currently no domestically available oral drugs with a similar mechanism of action to LX-039 in the market.

References:

1. Wang Y, Ayres K L, Goldman D A, et al. ¹⁸F-fluoroestradiol PET/CT measurement of estrogen receptor suppression during a phase I trial of the novel estrogen receptor-targeted therapeutic GDC-0810: using an imaging biomarker to guide drug dosage in subsequent trials[J]. Clinical Cancer Research, 2017, 23(12): 3053-3060.
2. Patel H K, Bihani T. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) in cancer treatment[J]. Pharmacology & therapeutics, 2018, 186: 1-24.

About Luoxin Pharma

Luoxin Pharmaceutical Group Stock Co., Ltd. ("Luoxin Pharma", stock code: 002793.SZ ) was founded in 1988. With the mission of "Source of health", Luoxin Pharma insists upon innovation of science and technology, focuses on the unmet medical needs in GI, respiratory and oncology, etc., and dedicates bringing more innovative medicine to patients around the world.

Luoxin Pharma has a rich and competitive portfolio of products and the star products take the lead in GI and respiratory. Many products were listed in major science and technology projects, such as National Major New Product Plan, National Torch Plan as well as Major New Drug R&D. In addition, having been ranking among Top 100 Chinese Pharmaceutical Enterprises since 2006, and among Best Enterprises in Chinese Pharmaceutical R&D Pipelines since 2011, Luoxin Pharma was recognized as State Key High-tech Enterprise, State Technology Innovation Model Enterprise, National Industrial Quality Model Enterprise, and multiple scientific research achievements were awarded the 2^nd prize for the State Sci. & Tech Progress.

For more information, please visit www.luoxin.cn.