Avacta Reports Tumor Shrinkage from AVA6000 Trial

Avacta Therapeutics has reported promising results from its Phase 1a trial of AVA6000, a peptide drug conjugate aimed at treating salivary gland cancer (SGC) and other solid tumors. In the trial, five out of ten patients demonstrated tumor shrinkage, resulting in a 90% disease control rate, with six patients continuing treatment and two under follow-up for progression-free survival. The drug, which combines doxorubicin with Avacta's proprietary pre|CISION peptide, showed a favorable safety profile, significantly reducing hematologic and cardiac toxicities associated with conventional doxorubicin. Encouraged by these results, Avacta has initiated three Phase 1b expansion cohorts to further investigate AVA6000's efficacy in triple-negative breast cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, and SGC. The first patients for these cohorts are expected to begin treatment soon in the US. CEO Christina Coughlin expressed optimism regarding the drug's transformative potential in targeting treatment-resistant cancers.