Aptose’s Tuspetinib Triple Drug Therapy Featured at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting; High Rate of Frontline Clinical Responses Continues Across AML Populations

Core Viewpoint - Aptose Biosciences Inc. presented promising clinical data for its lead compound tuspetinib (TUS) in combination with venetoclax (VEN) and azacitidine (AZA) at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, indicating its potential as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) [1][2][3] Group 1: Clinical Data and Efficacy - The TUSCANY trial showed a 100% clinical response rate (CR/CRh) at the higher doses of 80 mg and 120 mg of TUS [5][6] - The triplet therapy demonstrated high rates of efficacy and minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative remissions across diverse AML mutations, including FLT3 wildtype and adverse genetic subgroups [5][6] - Preliminary findings at the 160 mg dose level indicate early responses and blast clearance in patients [6][7] Group 2: Safety Profile - TUS-based therapies exhibited notable safety, with no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) reported across all evaluable TUS dose levels [6][7] - No drug-related deaths, differentiation syndrome, QTc prolongation, or CPK elevation were observed, and febrile neutropenia was reported in only 16.7% of subjects [6][7] - 8 out of 10 evaluable subjects achieved red cell and platelet transfusion independence for over 8 weeks after their best response [6][7] Group 3: Mechanism and Development - Tuspetinib is an oral agent that targets multiple kinases associated with AML, including SYK, FLT3, and JAK1/2, while minimizing typical toxicity concerns [7][8] - The ongoing TUSCANY Phase 1/2 study aims to evaluate various doses and schedules of TUS in combination with standard therapies for newly diagnosed AML patients ineligible for induction chemotherapy [7][8]