Asunercept Plus Radiotherapy Significantly Prolongs Time to Deterioration of Quality of Life Compared to Radiotherapy Alone in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma
Heidelberg, Germany, November 7, 2019 –Apogenix, a biopharmaceutical company developing nextgeneration immuno-oncology therapeutics, announced today thata new publication in Journal of Neuro-Oncology1shows that in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, treatment with asunercept in combination with radiotherapy is associated with a statistically significant prolongation in time to deterioration of quality of life beyond progression of the disease compared to treatment with radiotherapy alone.In a proof-of-concept phase II clinical trial in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, treatment with asunercept in combination with radiotherapy has demonstrated clinical efficacy compared to treatment with radiotherapy alone, including 6-month progression-free survival in 20.7% of patients treated with asunercept plus radiotherapy compared to 3.8% of patients treated with radiotherapy alone. Quality of life was an important secondary endpoint of the trial, and the recent analysis shows the time to deterioration of quality of life based on data from this clinical trial.In glioblastoma patients, disease progression is generally associated with a deterioration of overall quality of life, neurological and neurocognitive functions, and the capacity to perform daily activities. This includes sleep disruption, inability to concentrate, depression, and impaired professional, personal, and social lives.In recurrent glioblastoma patients treated with asunercept and radiotherapy, overall quality of life was maintained for 166 days before deterioration, versus 107 days in patients treated with radiotherapy alone. Physical functioning was maintained for 183 days before deterioration in patients treated with asunercept plus radiotherapy, compared to 89 days in patients who received only radiotherapy. “Given the poor prognosis of glioblastoma patients with currently available treatment options, quality of life maintenance is an important clinical outcome in addition to therapeutic goals such as progression-free and overall survival in order to preserve neurological functions and sustain the capacity to perform daily activities,” said Thomas Hoeger, Ph.D., Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Apogenix. “It is remarkable that in recurrent glioblastoma patients who received asunercept in combination with radiotherapy, time to deterioration was even prolonged beyond progression of the disease, particularly with regards to overall quality of life, physical functioning, and neurological status. This was not the case in patients treated with radiotherapy alone in this study, nor was it demonstrated in other clinical studies in similar patient populations.”
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