Actuate Therapeutics Advances Clinical Program in Ewing Sarcoma After Positive Phase 1 Trial Demonstrates Complete and Partial Responses in Difficult-to-Treat Pediatric Sarcomas
- Announces Completion of Phase 1 Study of Elraglusib in Pediatric Patients
- Prolonged and Durable Complete Responses (CRs) Observed in Two of Ten Refractory Ewing Sarcoma Patients
- Two Additional Patients Had Durable Stable Disease in Notoriously Difficult-to-Treat Cancer
- Confirmed Partial Response (PR) in a patient with a desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor (DSRCT)
- Company Initiating Planning of Phase 2 Trial of Elraglusib in Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Refractory/Resistant Ewing Sarcoma
CHICAGO and FORT WORTH, Texas, July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Actuate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACTU) ("Actuate" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for the treatment of high-impact, difficult-to-treat cancers through the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), today announced the end of the Phase 1 portion of its clinical study evaluating elraglusib monotherapy or in combination with irinotecan, irinotecan plus temozolomide, or with cyclophosphamide plus topotecan in pediatric patients with refractory malignancies (Actuate-1902). Following encouraging signals of activity, particularly in treatment-refractory Ewing Sarcoma (EWS), a small round cell sarcoma that forms in soft tissue and bone, the Company will seek to advance the clinical development program towards a Phase 2 study in children, adolescents, and adults with relapsed/refractory EWS.
"Refractory and resistant EWS is one of the most aggressive and underserved cancers affecting children and young adults with very low survival rates," said Dr. Andrew Mazar, Actuate's Scientific Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. "To observe complete responses in this setting is highly unexpected, and these exceptional early results position elraglusib as a potential first-in-class therapy option in an indication where no approved targeted therapies currently exist."
The Phase 1/2 Trial (NCT 04239092), also referred to as Actuate-1902, was an open-label, multicenter study evaluating the safety and efficacy of elraglusib in pediatric patients with relapsed/refractory malignancies, including EWS and other pediatric sarcomas. To date, the study has enrolled ten (10) patients with relapsed/refractory EWS (>1 remission) treated with the combination of elraglusib and topotecan/cyclophosphamide.
"We are highly encouraged by the responses observed in refractory and resistant EWS, a disease where treatment options are extremely limited beyond frontline chemotherapy," said Daniel Schmitt, President & Chief Executive Officer of Actuate. "With these promising clinical signals in hand, we are advancing our development plans focused on EWS by pursuing a Phase 2 trial and plan to meet with regulators to discuss potential registration path in this indication."
Of the ten (10) EWS patients enrolled, two (2) patients achieved complete responses by CT and/or complete metabolic responses (CR/CMR), while two (2) had confirmed stable disease. A partial response (PR) was also observed in one patient with a desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor (DSRCT), a small round cell sarcoma that forms in soft tissue. While the sample size specific to Ewing Sarcoma in the 1902 study was small, the responses are viewed as positive evidence of anti-tumor activity in this difficult-to-treat indication, and Actuate plans to further investigate elraglusib's ability to positively change patients' potential for successful treatment in a Phase 2 trial in pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients with relapsed/refractory Ewing Sarcoma. The Company is collaborating with key opinion leaders and consortiums with interest in EWS to ensure the design of the upcoming study aligns with both patient needs and regulatory expectations. The Company expects to initiate the trial in 2026, subject to available funding.
About Ewing Sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a highly metastatic form of sarcoma with a peak incidence at the age of 15, that ranks as the second most prevalent primary malignant tumor of childhood and adolescence. Approximately 25% of new EWS patients have metastatic disease when first diagnosed, which is the most significant predictor of poor survival.
About Actuate Therapeutics, Inc.
Actuate is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for the treatment of high-impact, difficult-to-treat cancers. Actuate's lead investigational drug, elraglusib (a novel GSK-3β inhibitor), targets molecular pathways in cancer that are involved in promoting tumor growth and resistance to conventional cancer drugs such as chemotherapy through the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB) and DNA Damage Response (DDR). Elraglusib may also mediate anti-tumor immunity through the regulation of multiple immune checkpoints and immune cell function. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.actuatetherapeutics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements about us, including our and other parties' clinical trials and development plans, and our industry. The words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "ongoing," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. All statements, other than statements related to present facts or current conditions or of historical facts, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions, substantial risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them, including but not limited to that preliminary and unpublished data may be subject to change and further interpretation following the availability of more data or following a more comprehensive review of the data and should not be relied upon as a final analysis; clinical and preclinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process with uncertain timelines and outcomes, results of prior preclinical studies, early clinical trials and sub-group studies are not necessarily predictive of future results and may not correlate with improved responses, and elraglusib may not achieve positive clinical results or favorable preclinical results or receive regulatory approval on a timely basis, if at all; that we may not successfully enroll additional patients or establish or advance plans for further development, including through conversations with the FDA or EMA and the standards such bodies may impose for such development; that elraglusib could be associated with side effects, adverse events or other properties or safety risks, which could delay or preclude regulatory approval, cause us to suspend or discontinue clinical trials or result in other negative consequences; our reliance on third parties to conduct our non-clinical studies and our clinical trials; our reliance on third-party licensors and ability to preserve and protect our intellectual property rights; that we face significant competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies; our ability to fund development activities, including because our financial condition raises substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern and we require additional capital to finance our operations for fiscal year 2025, and a failure to obtain this necessary capital in the near term on acceptable terms, or at all, could force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our development programs, commercialization efforts or other operations. In addition, any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed under the heading "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 13, 2025, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2025, and other filings with the SEC. Because the risk factors referred to above could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which factors will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Unless legally required, we do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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