Benzinga | Jul 1, 2021 01:37PM EDT

Kintara Therapeutics Shares Move Higher On Encouraging Safety, Efficacy Data From Brain Cancer Study With VAL-083

* Kintara Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:KTRA) has announced topline data from Phase 2 study of its lead compound VAL-083, conducted at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

* The Phase 2 trial is a two-arm, biomarker-driven study testing VAL-083 in glioblastoma multiforme patients who have an unmethylated promoter of the methylguanine DNA-methyltransferase gene.

* Median overall survival (mOS) for the 48 efficacy evaluable patients initially receiving the treatment dose of 30 mg/m2/day is 8.0 months.

* While this is not a head-to-head trial, historically, lomustine, the most commonly used chemotherapy for these patients, has demonstrated mOS of 7.2 months.

* On the safety front, myelosuppression was the most common adverse event.

* In the 30 mg/m2/day starting dose cohort, five patients experienced a serious adverse event possibly related to VAL-083.

* For the 83 efficacy evaluable patients who have completed at least one treatment cycle, mOS was 7.5 months.

* Price Action: KTRA shares are down 7.93% at $2.09 during the market session on the last check Thursday.