WALTHAM, Mass. and BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cogent Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: COGT), a biotechnology company focused on developing precision therapies for genetically defined diseases, today reported recent business highlights and financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023.
“This quarter was marked by meaningful progress as we furthered our efforts developing bezuclastinib for the AdvSM, NonAdvSM and GIST patient populations,” said Andrew Robbins, Cogent’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to the opportunity to present clinical data from both SUMMIT, selected for an oral presentation, and APEX clinical trials at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in December, and are pleased with the updated PEAK lead-in data we are sharing at the 2023 Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) annual meeting this weekend. With these important advances coupled with our cash runway into 2026, we believe we are well positioned to further build on our momentum to bring best-in-class therapies to patients with genetically defined diseases.”
Business Highlights & Milestones
- Oral presentation of initial clinical data from SUMMIT Part 1a at the ASH annual meeting on Saturday, December 9, 2023. SUMMIT is a randomized, global, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-part Phase 2 trial evaluating bezuclastinib in patients with nonadvanced systemic mastocytosis (NonAdvSM). Cogent will host an investor webcast to review the results on Monday, December 11, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. ET. Details will be provided closer to the event.
- Presentation will include safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, biomarker and symptomatic improvement results from the 20 patients enrolled in SUMMIT Part 1a.
- Measures of symptomatic improvement will include clinical data collected from multiple patient reported outcome measures including MAS, MCQoL, PGIS and PGIC.
- SUMMIT Part 1 enrollment completed in Q3 2023, including over-enrollment at 54 patients across Part 1a and Part 1b. Clinical results from the entire Part 1 patient population are planned for presentation at a scientific conference in Q1 2024.
- SUMMIT Part 2, a registration-directed, global, randomized placebo-controlled trial is on track for initiation in 1H 2024, ahead of schedule.
- Updated clinical data from the lead-in portion of the ongoing PEAK Phase 3 study to be shared in an oral presentation at the 2023 CTOS annual meeting on November 4, 2023. PEAK is an ongoing, multi-part Phase 3 randomized, global, multicenter trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib in patients with imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).
- Safety and tolerability data from 42 patients enrolled in Part 1a and Part 1b are consistent with results shared at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, demonstrating the combination of bezuclastinib and sunitinib was well tolerated and the adverse event profile was similar to sunitinib monotherapy.
- Updated clinical activity from a subset of 2nd-line GIST patients demonstrates a 33% confirmed overall response rate (ORR) with ongoing median duration of therapy greater than 14 months. Together with clinical data previously reported from a Phase 1/2 trial, 4 of 10 evaluable 2nd-line GIST patients treated with the combination have reached confirmed partial response status.
- Phase 3 portion of the PEAK study remains on track to complete enrollment by the end of 2024, with over 100 active sites globally.
- Updated clinical results from Part 1 of the ongoing APEX study to be presented at the 2023 ASH annual meeting on Monday, December 11, 2023. APEX is a global, multi-part Phase 2 trial evaluating bezuclastinib in patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis (AdvSM).
- Presentation will include safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, biomarker and response assessments from 33 patients enrolled in APEX Part 1.
- APEX Part 2 is on track to complete enrollment by the end of 2024. An additional APEX cohort was initiated in Q3 and is designed to allow concomitant administration of bezuclastinib with azacitadine in patients with systemic mastocytosis with an associated hematologic neoplasm (SM-AHN).
- Presented preclinical data at the 2023 ENA annual meeting on the Company’s next-generation, reversible, non-covalent fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) program, which exhibited low nanomolar potency on WT FGFR2 and FGFR2 mutations and is selective against the kinome and a panel of channels and receptors.
- Exploratory pharmacokinetics (PK) studies conducted across species showed CGT4859 to be a low-clearance compound with high oral bioavailability. Further, in a mutant-driven mouse model, CGT4859 demonstrated dose-responsive tumor growth inhibition with complete regressions at 5 mg/kg PO and was well-tolerated. Cogent anticipates filing an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application and beginning a clinical trial in 2024.
Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results
Cash Position: As of September 30, 2023, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $312.8 million, as compared to $350.9 million as of June 30, 2023. The company believes that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2026.
R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses were $50.1 million for the third quarter of 2023 as compared to $29.9 million for the third quarter of 2022. R&D expenses include non-cash stock compensation expense of $4.0 million for the third quarter of 2023 compared to $2.1 million for the third quarter of 2022. In the quarter, $6.6 million in non-recurring charges were incurred for third party CDMOs to prepare for bezuclastinib pre-commercialization and to support sunitinib clinical supply for the PEAK study. Additional increases resulted from costs associated with the acceleration of APEX, SUMMIT and PEAK clinical trials and the continued development of our research pipeline.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses were $9.5 million for the third quarter of 2023 as compared to $6.9 million for the third quarter of 2022. G&A expenses include non-cash stock compensation expense of $4.8 million for the third quarter of 2023 compared to $2.6 million for the third quarter of 2022.
Net Loss: Net loss was $55.4 million for the third quarter of 2023 as compared to a net loss of $35.1 million for the same period of 2022.
About Cogent Biosciences, Inc.
Cogent Biosciences is a biotechnology company focused on developing precision therapies for genetically defined diseases. The most advanced clinical program, bezuclastinib, is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is designed to potently inhibit the KIT D816V mutation as well as other mutations in KIT exon 17. KIT D816V is responsible for driving systemic mastocytosis, a serious disease caused by unchecked proliferation of mast cells. Exon 17 mutations are also found in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), a type of cancer with strong dependence on oncogenic KIT signaling. In addition to bezuclastinib, the Cogent Research Team is developing a portfolio of novel targeted therapies to help patients fighting serious, genetically driven diseases initially targeting FGFR2 and ErbB2. Cogent Biosciences is based in Waltham, MA and Boulder, CO. Visit our website for more information at www.cogentbio.com. Follow Cogent Biosciences on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn. Information that may be important to investors will be routinely posted on our website and Twitter.
