Pliant ends development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis asset bexotegrast
Pliant Therapeutics Development Update: Pliant Therapeutics has halted the development of its idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis drug bexotegrast due to unfavorable phase 2b/3 trial results, which indicated an increased risk of adverse events in treated participants.
Workforce Reduction and Future Plans: The company has reduced its workforce by approximately 45% but will continue to develop another candidate, PLN-101095, currently in a phase 1 trial for solid tumors resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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Combination of Pliant Cancer Drug and Merck's Keytruda Enhances Treatment Responses in Challenging Tumors
Pliant Therapeutics' Trial Results: Pliant Therapeutics released promising interim data from its Phase 1 trial of PLN-101095, showing antitumor activity in combination with Merck's Keytruda in patients with advanced solid tumors that are refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Clinical Responses Observed: Among the heavily pretreated patient population, there were four responders, including one complete response and three partial responses, with clinical responses noted in various cancer types such as cholangiocarcinoma and melanoma.
IFN-γ Levels and Tolerability: Responding patients exhibited significant increases in plasma interferon gamma levels, while PLN-101095 was generally well tolerated, demonstrating a dose-dependent pharmacokinetic profile.
Stock Performance and Future Plans: Despite the positive trial results, Pliant's stock fell by over 20%, trading near its 52-week low, while the company plans to initiate a Phase 1b trial in 2026 to further explore PLN-101095's efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer and other tumor types.
JP Morgan Lowers Pliant Therapeutics Rating to Underweight
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