Masitinib found superior to standard GIST treatment: AB Science reports

Masitinib is an investigational orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets mast cells, essential for immunity.

In the study, 44 patients with inoperable, locally advanced or metastatic GIST received either Masitinib at 12 mg/kg/day or Pfizer’s Sutent drug, currently the standard of care for GIST patients.

The study showed that after a median follow-up of 14 months, median overall survival was not reached for Masitinib versus 15 months for Sutent, while after two years, 53% of patients treated with Masitinib were still alive, compared to 0% for the patients treated with Sutent.

The trial also demonstrated that Masitinib reported good safety profile with a significantly longer Safety Event Free Survival and a lower occurrence of severe adverse events compared to Sutent.

AB Science Scientific Committee president Olivier Hermine said Masitinib differs from Sutent by its selectivity profile, with a complementary mode of action to kill cancer stem cells and trigger an immune response.