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Arcus Begins Differentiating Its HIF-2a Inhibitor Versus Merck’s Welireg

 
• By Joseph Haas

Although from a small Phase I/Ib study, Arcus presents data showing better response rate, disease control and tolerability for casdatifan compared to Merck’s approved renal cell carcinoma drug Welireg.

Arcus Biosciences (Shutterstock)

Arcus may be finding a new therapeutic direction for its cancer ambitions with its HIF-2a inhibitor casdatifan, reporting data from a Phase I/Ib study on 24 October that indicate the candidate may be competitive with Merck & Co.’s Welireg (belzutifan), a drug from the same class approved in 2023 to treat certain patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Key Takeaways
  • Arcus’s casdatifan posted a 34% objective response rate in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients with at least two prior treatment regimens.
  • Analysts noted that these and other data points suggest differentiation versus Merck’s Welireg, the only approved HIF-2a inhibitor for RCC

In a presentation at the EORTC-NCI-AACR conference in Barcelona, Arcus reported that a 100mg daily dose of casdatifan yielded a 34% objective response rate and 25% confirmed response rate in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Analysts called the data marginally better than seen in pivotal studies with Merck’s

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