What's Behind The Rally In Small-Cap Biotech G1 Therapeutics?

Shares of G1 Therapeutics Inc GTHX were advancing strongly on above-average volume Tuesday in reaction to a clinical trial readout.

What Happened

Oncology biotech G1 announced preliminary overall survival, or OS, data from a Phase 2 study of trilaciclib.

Women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, or MTNBC, lived significantly longer when administered the investigational compound along with the chemotherapy regimen gemcitabine/carboplatin compared to women receiving chemotherapy alone, according to G1. 

Myelopreservation results; the objective response rate, or ORR; progression-free survival, or PFS; and safety data were presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Trilaciclib is a myelopreservation agent that protects the bone marrow from damage by chemotherapy and improves patient outcomes.

G1 said topline OS improvements were statistically significant in both trilaciclib arms compared with the chemotherapy-only arm. ORR and PFS data as well as safety data were consistent with previously reported data.

Why It's Important

TNBC, according to G1, is the most aggressive type of breast cancer, and mTNBC warrants new treatment options.

"As a company committed to improving the lives, treatment options and outcomes of those living with cancer, we're proud to have a pipeline that now includes three investigational therapies with the potential to become new standards of care for those with breast cancer and benefit women at the earliest stages of their disease," G1 said. 

What's Next

G1 intends to submit marketing applications in the U.S. and Europe for myelopreservation in small cell lung cancer in 2020.

It also plans to initiate additional trials to evaluate the myelopreservation and survival benefits of trilaciclib in other tumor types and chemotherapy regimens.

G1 shares were trading higher by 25.57% at $24.80 at the time of publication Tuesday on roughly five times their average volume. 

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