Aptevo Therapeutics highlights potential of portfolio in cancer immunotherapy

Aptevo Therapeutics (APVO) provided additional details about its oncology pipeline which is poised to potentially address some of the most challenging and aggressive forms of cancer in both blood and solid tumors. As bispecific antibodies gain prominence for their revolutionary therapeutic potential and expanding market opportunities, Aptevo’s differentiated platforms and promising clinical results across two clinical programs, together with preclinical assets are demonstrating how bispecifics rationally differentiated for safety and targeted efficacy may impact the future of cancer care. The company plans to add another targeted asset to the pipeline in the near-term and looks forward to providing more detail about the new compound at that time. Aptevo’s commitment to transforming cancer therapeutics is exemplified by its development pipeline, which features five bispecific antibodies, two clinical and three preclinical, targeting hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The company’s focus on developing highly potent, safe, and versatile therapeutics positions it as a significant player in the expanding field of bispecific antibody based therapies. Lead Candidate Mipletamig for Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Mipletamig, Aptevo’s lead bispecific antibody, is currently in a frontline Phase 1b/2 combination trial, RAINIER, following positive results from earlier studies. The Company announced an initial efficacy response earlier this week where the first patient dosed experienced a 90% reduction in leukemic blasts within 30 days of treatment initiation, continuing the efficacy trend seen in prior mipletamig clinical studies. Mipletamig is designed to engage the immune system and directly target AML cells, offering new hope for a patient population with historically poor outcomes. Mipletamig’s encouraging clinical performance underscores the potential to transform AML treatment standards, reinforcing Aptevo’s innovative approach to tackling blood cancers. Clinical Candidate: ALG.APV-527: ALG.APV-527 is being evaluated in a Phase 1 trial for solid tumors likely to express the tumor antigen 5T4. Tumor types treated to date include breast, colon, pancreatic and non-small cell lung cancer. Positive preliminary data from the study were presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress in September and at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer conference earlier in November. These results showed that ALG.APV-527 demonstrated safety and tolerability across all cohorts, nine of 16 evaluable patients achieved stable disease, and biomarker analysis confirmed immune activation in the tumor microenvironment. This drug has the potential to advance treatment in hard-to-treat solid tumors, demonstrating the versatility of Aptevo’s technology across a wide range of cancer types. The Company’s preclinical candidates represent diverse but complementary approaches to cancer treatment and were designed, like the clinical candidates, with safety, targeted efficacy and combinability in mind. APVO711: Dual immune mechanisms that act as an immune checkpoint blockade plus immune activator where CD40 only functions when both binding domains are engaged APVO603: Broad solid tumor targeting that simultaneously engages two co-stimulatory molecules in the tumor and only functions when both binding domains are engaged APVO442: Precision targeting of prostate cancer antigens with immune engagement driven by CD3 engagement on T cells which are intended to directly kill PSMA-expressing prostate tumor cells.