For patients with metastatic EGFR-mutated NSCLC, targeted EGFR TKI therapies such as gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib or osimertinib represent the first-line treatment of choice.
However, patients eventually develop resistance to these treatments, typically experiencing disease progression within a year.
Once a patient is resistant to all possible EGFR TKIs, there are limited treatment options, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy or investigational agents.
Research suggests that inhibition of AXL, a receptor tyrosine kinase, may help delay or overcome the onset of resistance to the TKIs.
Daiichi Sankyo oncology research and development oncology translational development head Eric Slosberg said: “This first-in-human trial will build upon preclinical research to evaluate the potential of our AXL inhibitor, DS-1205, in combination with gefitinib in EGFR-mutated NSCLC that has progressed on TKI therapy.
“We are evaluating for the first time in a clinical setting whether inhibition of the AXL pathway with DS-1205 may help prevent, delay or overcome the onset of resistance to EGFR TKIs, as we continue to research and develop new targeted therapy approaches for patients with metastatic NSCLC.”
Source: Company Press Release