TAIPEI, Taiwan and SAN DIEGO, Calif., April 16, 2023 — Polaris Group (TWSE: 6550), a multinational biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of novel biological drugs for cancer and other metabolic diseases, today presented data from its Phase 2/3 ATOMIC Study, a global, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of ADI-PEG 20 in combination with Pemetrexed and Cisplatin in patients with unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) with biphasic or sarcomatoid histology. The trial demonstrated that patients randomized to the combination of ADI-PEG 20 plus cisplatin and pemetrexed had a median OS of 9.3 months, versus 7.66 months for the cisplatin and pemetrexed control arm. The difference in the primary efficacy endpoint of Overall Survival (OS) is statistically significant. (p-value=0.0234 <0.05) The data were presented in the Clinical Trial Plenary Session at the AACR Annual Meeting 2023 by Prof. Peter W. Szlosarek, Cancer Research UK Barts Center.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to present the Phase 2/3 data showing that ADI-PEG 20 can significantly extend overall survival benefits in patients with MPM at AACR. ADI-PEG-20 is the first arginine-depleting therapy to show positive results in a pivotal trial as a combination therapy for the treatment of MPM. As this study evaluate a new mechanism of action to treat cancer, the endpoints reach statistical significance is a remarkable finding. We look forward to bringing new therapies to patients in need”, said Howard Chen, chairman of Polaris Group. “We are currently working with regulators to bring this novel biologic to patients with MPM”.
ADI-PEG 20 is a first-in-class therapeutic approach to deplete arginine and starve cancer cells. Because arginine is one of the 20 amino acids that are essential for protein synthesis and survival of cells, some cancer cells become dependent upon the external supply of arginine to survive and grow. ADI-PEG 20 is designed to deplete the external supply of arginine, which causes arginine-dependent cancer cells to die while leaving the patient’s normal cells unharmed. Multiple cancers have been reported to have a high degree of arginine dependency.