Ariceum Therapeutics has achieved two significant milestones in the development of its radiopharmaceutical cancer therapy, 225Ac-satoreotide. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to 225Ac-satoreotide for the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Furthermore, the FDA has cleared Ariceum's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for 225Ac-SSO110, paving the way for a Phase I/II clinical trial in patients with SCLC or Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC). These regulatory advancements highlight the potential of 225Ac-satoreotide as a novel treatment option for these aggressive cancers with limited therapeutic alternatives.
Orphan Drug Designation for SCLC
The FDA's Orphan Drug Designation provides development and commercial incentives for drugs and biologics that demonstrate potential for the diagnosis or treatment of rare diseases or conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. This designation includes eligibility for seven years of market exclusivity in the U.S. after product approval, FDA assistance in clinical trial design, and an exemption from FDA user fees. SCLC, a particularly deadly condition, presents a significant unmet medical need due to the limited number of treatment options and a poor overall five-year survival rate of 5-10%.
Manfred Rüdiger, Chief Executive Officer at Ariceum Therapeutics, stated, "Receiving ODD for 225Ac-satoreotide is a recognition of its potential as a treatment option for patients with SCLC and an important regulatory milestone for Ariceum. The FDA’s ODD will support our objective to accelerate the development of 225Ac-satoreotide through human trials to provide a potentially life-saving therapy to patients with limited alternatives."
Phase I/II Trial Clearance
The FDA has also cleared Ariceum's IND application to commence a Phase I/II clinical trial ('SANTANA-225') of its proprietary radiolabeled peptide, 225Ac-SSO110, in patients with SCLC or MCC. The SANTANA-225 trial is a global, open-label study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, preliminary efficacy, and recommended Phase II dose of 225Ac-SSO110 in patients with extensive-stage SCLC or MCC who are on first-line maintenance therapy with checkpoint inhibitors. Ariceum plans to begin enrolling patients in the first quarter of 2025.
Germo Gericke, Chief Medical Officer at Ariceum Therapeutics, commented, "This is an important milestone, not only for Ariceum but for the whole field of targeted radionuclide cancer treatments. 225Ac-SSO110 is the first somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) antagonist labeled with Actinium-225 to undergo human trials, providing the optimum combination of a long half-life α particle emitter with a long tumor retention tracer. Based on encouraging clinical data with 177Lu-SSO110 and very promising pre-clinical data of 225Ac-SSO110, we are very optimistic about the potential for patients with difficult to treat cancers."
Preclinical Data and Theranostic Approach
In October 2024, Ariceum published preclinical data demonstrating the potential of 225Ac-satoreotide to outperform SSTR2 targeting agonists. The data showed a high frequency of complete durable responses and 100% survival in preclinical models. 225Ac-satoreotide, in combination with its companion patient selection tracer 68Ga-SSO120, is being developed as a 'theranostic pair' for the combined diagnosis and targeted radionuclide treatment of multiple indications expressing SSTR2, such as SCLC, MCC, and other aggressive, hard-to-treat cancers.
These advancements underscore Ariceum's commitment to developing innovative radiopharmaceutical products for the diagnosis and treatment of aggressive cancers, offering hope for patients with limited treatment options.
