Merus Announces Publication of an Abstract on Petosemtamab as 2L+ treatment of r/m HNSCC at the ESMO Asia Congress 2024

Core Insights - Petosemtamab (MCLA-158) demonstrates clinically meaningful efficacy in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in a Phase 2 trial, with a 40.4% overall response rate and a median overall survival of 12.5 months [1][3][4] Company Overview - Merus N.V. is a clinical-stage oncology company focused on developing innovative full-length multispecific antibodies, known as Biclonics® and Triclonics® [6] - The company is preparing for a conference call to discuss updated clinical data on petosemtamab, scheduled for December 7, 2024 [2][4] Clinical Data Summary - As of November 6, 2023, 54 patients were treated with 1500 mg of petosemtamab, with 47 evaluable for response, yielding a 40.4% overall response rate [3] - The median duration of response was 7.2 months, median progression-free survival was 5.1 months, and median overall survival was 12.5 months [3] - A new dose-comparison cohort was established with 42 patients randomized to receive either 1500 mg or 1100 mg, showing promising results at both dose levels [3] Safety Profile - Petosemtamab was well tolerated across both dose levels, with no new safety signals reported and no grade 5 treatment-emergent adverse events [3][5] Industry Context - HNSCC is the sixth most common cancer globally, with over 930,000 new cases and 465,000 deaths reported in 2020, and the incidence is expected to rise by 30% by 2030 [4] - Current standard therapies for HNSCC have poor prognosis, highlighting the need for new treatment options like petosemtamab [4]