On August 28, LigaChem Biosciences announced that its partner, CStone Pharmaceuticals, has released data from the Phase 1b clinical trial for the first-line treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) using LigaChem’s cancer drug CS5001 (LCB71).
According to CStone’s report, the objective response rate was 100% among 31 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients treated with a combination of the standard R-CHOP therapy and CS5001. Remarkably, the complete response rate hit 100% across all dosage groups from 40 to 90 μg/kg.
A complete response indicates no detectable cancer upon examination. With complete responses observed even at the lowest dose of 40 μg/kg, future development will focus on finding the optimal dose that maintains efficacy while improving safety and tolerability.
CS5001 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) jointly developed by LigaChem and ABL Bio, and subsequently licensed to CStone. It targets ROR1 on cancer cell surfaces to deliver the drug intracellularly.
Based on the efficacy and safety data gathered in this trial, CStone has decided to temporarily pause the study to determine the optimal dose and administration schedule. Given the proven anticancer effects at the lowest dose, the company will review appropriate dosing and treatment cycles, weighing both efficacy and tolerability.
A LigaChem spokesperson stated that achieving a 100% complete response rate across all dosage groups in first-line DLBCL is a promising result that showcases the potential of ROR1-targeting cancer drugs. Having confirmed sufficient efficacy even at low doses, it aims to finalize the optimal dose and develop a competitive treatment in future trials.
Meanwhile, LigaChem has been expanding its technology transfer agreements with global pharmaceutical and biotech firms, positioning ADCs as a key growth driver. In 2023, the company notably signed a technology transfer deal worth up to 1.7225 billion USD with Janssen Biotech, further expanding its global partnerships based on its proprietary ADC platform.