Aptose Provides Clinical Update for the Tuspetinib-based Triple Drug Frontline Therapy in Newly Diagnosed AML Patients from the Phase 1/2 TUSCANY Trial

Core Insights - Aptose Biosciences is developing a unique triple drug therapy (TUS+VEN+AZA) for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, aiming for a safe and mutation-agnostic frontline treatment [1][6] - Initial data from the Phase 1/2 TUSCANY trial shows promising safety and efficacy, with complete remissions and measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity observed in patients with diverse mutations [1][4] Group 1: Clinical Trial Details - The TUSCANY trial has initiated dosing with tuspetinib (TUS) at 40 mg and 80 mg in combination with venetoclax (VEN) and azacitidine (AZA), demonstrating safety and antileukemic activity [2][4] - The trial is designed to evaluate various doses and schedules of TUS for AML patients who cannot receive induction chemotherapy, with a target enrollment of 18-24 patients by mid-late 2025 [7] Group 2: Patient Outcomes - In the first cohort, a patient with biallelic TP53 mutations achieved complete remission and MRD-negative status, while another FLT3-wildtype patient also achieved complete remission [4] - In the second cohort receiving 80 mg of TUS, all three patients showed blast reductions meeting criteria for complete remissions or complete remission with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi) [4] Group 3: Company Overview - Aptose Biosciences focuses on developing precision medicines for oncology, with tuspetinib as a lead candidate showing activity in relapsed or refractory AML and being advanced as a frontline therapy [9]