Steve Fruchtman
Analyst · Guggenheim Partners. Your line is now open
Thanks Bruce, and thanks to everyone who is joining us today for this call. I'll open by saying that Onconova has made excellent progress in the third quarter of 2023. During the call today, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Victor Moyo; and our Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Mark Guerin, and I will provide you with an update on our lead program, narazaciclib. Review the data from our recent scientific presentation. Outline our upcoming milestones. Provide a brief update on the legal assertive development program. Summarize our third quarter financial results and outlook on our cash runway, and finally, and of course, importantly, open the call for your questions. As you know, our mission remains to develop novel proprietary products for patients with hard-to-treat cancer and with an unmet medical need. Starting with our lead program, our internal efforts are dedicated to the basic preparations for narazaciclib, our proprietary protein kinase inhibitor of CDK4/6 as well as other kinase and so for cell growth and DNA synthesis. The CDK4/6 class of inhibitory drugs has changed the face of cancer care in several indications, particularly in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Narazaciclib was designed by [indiscernible] scientists as a potent next generation entrance into this multi-billion dollar drug class. In addition to its multi-kinase activity, we believe that as a cycle it may be differentiated from the other approved CDK4/6 inhibitors because of the potential for an improved tolerability profile and based on our preclinical studies, improved efficacy as well. The ability to target - to act on targets beyond CDK4/6 may lower the risk of drug resistance based by other CDK4/6 inhibitors. Our expansive preclinical studies have helped to define narazaciclib ability to impact on additional vital targets involved in cell signaling and cancer survival, including the proteins ARK5, also known as [NUAC1], CSF1R, and BUB1. All important in how cancer establishes its presence in sites of metastatic disease as well as proliferation of the cancer cells. We have selected low-grade endometrial cancer to be our lead registration indication for narazaciclib in combination with the hormone therapy, letrozole. We believe this is the right choice in endometrial cancer for two main reasons. Number one, the proposed registrational trial has a high technical and regulatory success - probability of success. Publication of positive studies with other CDK4/6 inhibitors and letrozole combinations and compendia data indicating off-label use support the potential for a high probability of technical success. These data and the lack of an approved label underscore the unmet medical need and support the potential for high regulatory success. The second reason is the initial data from our dose ranging studies suggest that narazaciclib has the potential to be safer than the other indicated CDK4/6 approved inhibitors with a wide dosing window that supports an excellent therapeutic index. Note that during our call today, we may use the acronym LGEEC to describe this indication in endometrial cancer. To be registrational trial ready, we plan to, one, complete the dose escalation segment of our Phase 1 and 2 programs and define a recommended Phase 2 dose for RP2D. Secondly, engage with the FDA on the pivotal trial design under construction. Number three, work with key external clinical experts on the design and conduct of this trial, including the Gynecologic Oncology Group or GOG, and the European Network for Gynecologic Oncology Trials or ENGOT. Our plan is to conduct the registration trial as part of our ongoing collaboration with both of these very prestigious groups. We intend to provide more information on each of these steps over the next few quarters. As you know, there are three early stage studies underway in the narazaciclib program, including monotherapy and combination trials. Given narazaciclib's multi-kinase mechanism of action, we have conducted our dose escalation studies very carefully. While Victor will summarize the status of these studies based on the clinical and biological target engagement and acceptable overall safety we are observing, we have decided to dose escalate to at least one more dosing cohort to fully evaluate the safety profile of narazaciclib and achieve the optimal recommended Phase 2 dose. As a result of the Phase 1/2 program for narazaciclib, they continue into the first quarter of 2024. We believe this is very good news for total program, because it underscores the potential for narazaciclib to have a differentiated safety profile and a wide therapeutic index. Changing gears, I would like to touch briefly on our second program that is rigosertib. As you know, in keeping with our focus on capital efficiency, we have been exploring the clinical utility of rigosertib through a series of signal-finding, investigator-sponsored trials focused on solid tumor indications driven by rigosertib impact on one of two mechanisms. The first is the PLK1 pathway involved in squamous cell carcinoma complicating recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, and the second mutated KRAS protein seen in KRAS mutated non-small cell lung cancer in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. As outlined in our second quarter call, we are focused on mapping out a registration study plan for the ultra-rare indication of RDEB-associated squamous cell carcinoma. Note that we will define that as RDEB-associated SCC in this call. We selected this to be the lead registrational indication based on the very impressive clinical responses we have seen to-date in previously refractory patients and with the significant unmet medical need for this desperate patient population. As you know, we had a Type B meeting with the FDA in June. Based on this meeting and feedback from the agency, and as outlined in our second quarter call, we intend to develop a protocol for a registration of trial out for following interactions with the rare disease group at FDA in pursuit of an orphan designation for RDEB-associated squamous cell. We plan to provide an update on next steps in the first half of 2024. Looking ahead to the rest of this year and into 2024, we are focusing on achieving the following milestones. In the narazaciclib, we intend to one continue the dose escalation segment of the Phase 1/2 program, which will bring us and which, may bring us into the first quarter of 2024, so we can add at least one more dosing cohort to this study. Number two, provide a readout in the narazaciclib safety and pharmacology in the first half of 2024 once we have completed the dose escalation studies. Number three, provide an update on our registration trial readiness over the next couple of quarters, including the definition of the recommended Phase 2 dose, our engagement with the FDA and the federal trial design and obtaining rare disease indication, orphan disease indication, and I'll work with internal external clinical experts, including the GOG and ENGOT. Achievement of these milestones will also enable us to establish a solid foundation to expand the program to include other indications, such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer. For rigosertib, as I just noted in the first half of 2024, we continue to plan to provide an update on the next steps to obtain orphan drug designation and for the registration program. Before I hand the call over, I would like to warmly congratulate Victor, formally taking on the role of Chief Medical Officer, and warmly welcome Meena Arora as Vice President of Global Medical Affairs, Research and development. Victor and I previously worked together at J&J, where he was instrumental in getting approval for some of the most revolutionary and impactful drugs in both supportive care and hematology oncology. Both of them are accomplished experts in their fields and bring significant and wide depth of experience in drug development. I believe Victor's extensive track record as a clinical researcher in drug development in oncology and me and his unique medical affairs expertise in rare diseases and oncology will be instrumental to the company's success as we prepare the clinical plan and regulatory strategy for narazaciclib and rigosertib. Now, I would like to turn the call over to Victor to provide some more details on the narazaciclib program. Victor?