Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: DVAX) rose Monday after the company reported that SD-101 in combination with Merck's (NYSE: MRK) KEYTRUDA continued to show a 70% overall response rate in advanced melanoma patients, according to data presented at the ESMO 2018.
The company, based out of Berkeley, California, reported results on a total of 87 patients (Intention to Treat population) comparing two different doses of SD-101. In the study, 47 patients received ≤2mg of SD-101 in 1-4 lesions and 40 patients received 8 mg in a single lesion. The primary endpoints of this dose-expansion/dose-finding study are safety and preliminary efficacy.
The results showed a 70% overall response rate in advanced melanoma patients naïve to anti-PD-1/L1 therapy who received the ≤ 2 mg dose of SD-101 and a 48% ORR in the group receiving the 8 mg dose of SD-101.
Said Chief Medical Officer Rob Janssen, "These results are encouraging because the overall response rate in the 2 mg group has remained consistent with the data presented at the 2018 American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting, even though the number of patients increased by more than 50%.
"In addition, median progression-free survival has not yet been reached, but statistically is expected to be at least 15.2 months, providing further validation of the potential benefit of the combination therapy."
Shares in DVAX surged $1.86, or 17.1%, Monday to $12.75, within a 52-week trading range of $10.35 to $23.85.
