Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Shares Encore ELAINE-2 Poster Presentation at 2023 Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Conference

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics to specifically treat metastatic breast cancers harboring ESR1 mutations, today announced it shared an encore poster presentation at the 10th annual Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Conference (MBCRC) highlighting the results of its Phase 2 ELAINE-2 clinical study.

The poster, “Lasofoxifene plus abemaciclib for treating ER+/HER2-, ESR1-mutated, metastatic breast cancer after progression on prior therapies: ELAINE-2 update,” was presented Wednesday, Aug. 30.  

“Sermonix welcomed the opportunity to share these important ELAINE-2 findings with researchers at MBCRC, who are highly focused experts in the metastatic breast cancer arena, in addition to the patient advocates who play such a vital role,” said Dr. David Portman, Sermonix founder and chief executive officer. “We also were pleased to discuss our plans for ELAINE-3, a registrational Phase 3 trial that if positive could bring lasofoxifene closer to becoming available as a potential new option to improve the lives of those confronted with this terrible disease.”

ELAINE-2 (NCT04432454), an open-label Evaluation of Lasofoxifene in ESR1 Mutations (ELAINE) study of Sermonix’s lead investigational drug, lasofoxifene, in combination with Eli Lilly and Company’s CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib, evaluated 29 heavily pre-treated women with ER+/HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and an ESR1 mutation. Results were initially shared at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and updated in June at ASCO 2023.

The primary endpoint was safety/tolerability, with secondary endpoints including progression-free survival (PFS) and overall response rate (ORR). With patient follow-up through Jan. 31, 2023, the combination of lasofoxifene and abemaciclib continued to be well-tolerated, with clinically meaningful efficacy in women with ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer and an ESR1 mutation. The PFS, a median of 13 months, and ORR of 56% were promising.

The results led Sermonix to initiate ELAINE-3, a global registrational study of 400 patients assessing the efficacy of lasofoxifene and abemaciclib compared to fulvestrant and abemaciclib, with enrollment planned to begin in the second half of 2023.

To learn more about Sermonix Pharmaceuticals and lasofoxifene, visit https://sermonixpharma.com. To learn more about the ELAINE studies, visit https://elainestudy.com/.

About Lasofoxifene
Lasofoxifene is an investigational novel endocrine therapy in clinical development which has demonstrated robust target engagement as an ESR1 antagonist in the breast, particularly in the presence of ESR1 mutations. Lasofoxifene has demonstrated anti-tumor activity as monotherapy and in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor in Phase 2 studies and has unique tissue selectivity distinguishing it from other current and investigational endocrine therapies, with beneficial effects seen on vagina and bone in previous clinical studies. Lasofoxifene, which Sermonix licensed globally from Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:LGND), has been studied in previous comprehensive Phase 1-3 non-oncology clinical trials in more than 15,000 postmenopausal women worldwide. Lasofoxifene’s bioavailability and activity in mutations of the estrogen receptor could potentially hold promise for patients who have acquired endocrine resistance due to ESR1 mutations, a common finding in the metastatic setting and an area of high unmet medical need. Lasofoxifene’s novel activity in ESR1 mutations was discovered at Duke University and Sermonix has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the product in this area. Lasofoxifene, a novel targeted and tissue selective oral endocrine therapy could, if approved, play a critical role in the precision medicine treatment of advanced ER+ breast cancer.

About Sermonix
Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of female-specific oncology products and is currently undertaking two Phase 2 clinical studies of lasofoxifene, its lead investigational drug. The Sermonix management team, led by founder Dr. David Portman, has significant experience in all stages of the drug development, regulatory and commercialization processes. Paul Plourde, M.D., vice president of oncology clinical development, has many decades of experience at AstraZeneca in the breast cancer drug development arena. Barry Komm, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, is recognized for his expertise in nuclear receptor biology. Miriam Portman, M.D., is co-founder and chief operating officer, with expertise in clinical trial conduct and patient recruitment. Elizabeth Attias, M.M.Sc., Sc.D., chief strategy and development officer, has extensive experience in pharmaceutical drug commercialization. Simon Jenkins, Ph.D., vice president of operations, has over 30 years of experience in global drug development leadership. Sermonix non-executive chairman of the board is Anthony Wild, Ph.D., former president of both Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals and Warner-Lambert’s Pharmaceutical Division. Learn more at SermonixPharma.com.

Sermonix Contact:
Monica Kozlowski, MSPH
Sermonix Product Manager
[email protected]
860-692-8548