XL880 is an orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of the MET and VEGF receptor tyrosine kinases that are involved in tumor cell growth, migration, and angiogenesis. The multi-center open-label phase II study will be conducted at multiple clinical sites and enroll patients with metastatic, poorly differentiated diffuse gastric cancer, a tumor type that is associated with amplification of the MET gene.
The primary objectives of the study are to determine best-confirmed response rate and to evaluate safety and tolerability of XL880 administered orally for five consecutive days every two weeks. Secondary objectives are to assess progression-free survival, overall survival, duration of response, and to continue characterizing the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of XL880.
Michael Morrissey, executive vice president of discovery at Exelixis, said: “XL880 has demonstrated potent inhibition of MET and other critical drivers of cancer in preclinical studies.
In particular, preclinical experiments have shown that gastric cancer cell lines carrying amplifications of the MET gene are extremely sensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of XL880, providing a strong rationale for testing the clinical utility of the compound in this indication.”