Cantargia AB (STO:CANTA), a biotechnology company that develops antibody-based treatments for life-threatening diseases, reported on Monday the first interim data with antibody CAN04 in combination with chemotherapy in the ongoing phase IIa CANFOUR study.

The company said that the data show that by adding CAN04, response rates are higher than historical data using these standard first line chemotherapies alone. Four out of seven evaluable patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (PDAC) and two out of three patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including one patient with complete response (CR), had objective responses.

No major side effects were observed apart from those expected with chemotherapy or CAN04, the company said and added that the recruitment in PDAC, which essentially follows communicated timelines, is expected to be completed in early second quarter 2020 for PDAC. Recruitment for NSCLC is expected to be complete in early third quarter 2020.

Göran Forsberg, CEO at Cantargia stated: "This early-stage analysis of safety and efficacy in patients with metastatic cancer is really exciting. Response rates are higher than historical data and includes a patient with complete response. This fits with the hypothesis that CAN04 can be synergistic with chemotherapy and counteract chemoresistance."