(Reuters) – Replimune Group said on Tuesday its experimental combination therapy to treat a common form of skin cancer failed to significantly remove or reduce cancerous lesions in a mid-stage study.
Shares tumbled 54% in premarket trading even as the company said that the combination therapy showed “clinically meaningful” activity.
Replimune was testing its therapy, RP1, in combination with Regeneron’s antibody drug, Libtayo, in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, compared to Libtayo alone.
Replimune, however, said the combination therapy showed that the rate of complete disappearance of tumors, also known as the complete response rate (CRR), was “just short” of statistical significance.
The study mainly looked for improvements in CRR and overall response rate (ORR), which measures the percentage of patients who achieve either complete disappearance of tumors or reduction in tumor size following the treatment.
The trial, conducted under a research and supply agreement with Regeneron, will continue as planned, Replimune said.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Sriraj Kalluvila)
