Singapore- ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company targeting cancers that are both highly prevalent in Asia and orphan indications in the United States and Europe, announced the online publication of two abstracts on varlitinib that have been accepted for presentation at the upcoming 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, 1-5 June 2018.

Varlitinib is a highly potent pan-HER inhibitor that targets the human epidermal growth factor receptors HER1, HER2 and HER4. At ASCO, ASLAN will present the study design of its ongoing global pivotal clinical trial of varlitinib, the TREatmEnT OPPortunity (TREETOPP) study, as a second-line treatment of biliary tract cancer. No new data from the TREETOPP study will be disclosed.

In a second poster, new data will be presented from a Phase 1b study of varlitinib to determine the maximum tolerated dose in advanced solid tumours as combination therapy with paclitaxel. The recommended dose of varlitinib in combination with paclitaxel was found to be 300mg BID. Varlitinib showed efficacy in HER2+ metastatic breast cancer patients with some patients experiencing relatively long durations of response. The study was conducted by Dr. Soo-Chin Lee (National University Cancer Institute, Singapore) in collaboration with ASLAN.