South Korea’s Chong Kun Dang presented its latest study results of the bispecific antibody pipeline CKD-702 that simultaneously inhibits c-Met and epidermal growth factor (EGFR) in animals who have grown resistant to existing tyrosine kinase inhibitors, at the online American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2020 that kicked off Monday.

The CKD-702, currently being developed to treat non-small cell lung cancer in Korea, was tested on animals in single administrations to test its anti-cancer effects and action mechanism.

The trial showed that the drug could repress the activities of c-Met and EGFR -- two factors essential for tumor growth.

More encouragingly, CKD-702 showed efficacy in animal models that have grown resistant to existing tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Chong Kun Dang said.

The pipeline is also anticipated to trigger antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, a natural immune system attacking the cancer cells.

CKD-702 is undergoing clinical phase 1 trials in Korea to test its toxicity in human body. Chong Kun Dang plans to gradually expand the pipeline’s indications to stomach cancer, colorectal cancer and liver cancer, as well as carry out global clinical trials.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)