To join the conference call via phone and participate in the live Q&A session, please pre-register online here to receive a telephone number and unique passcode required to enter the call. The live webcast and audio archive of the presentation may be accessed on the investor section of the Tempest website at https://ir.tempesttx.com/. The webcast will be available for replay for 30 days.
About the Randomized Clinical Trial
The Phase 1b/2 global randomized HCC study is part of Roche’s Morpheus program and evaluates amezalpat in combination with atezolizumab and bevacizumab versus atezolizumab and bevacizumab, the standard of care, in patients with unresectable or metastatic HCC not previously treated with systemic therapy. The trial randomized 70 patients to receive either amezalpat with atezolizumab + bevacizumab or a contemporaneous control arm of atezolizumab + bevacizumab alone at approximately 25 sites worldwide, including in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The primary efficacy endpoint was confirmed objective response rate, and key secondary endpoints including PFS and OS. Under the terms of the clinical collaboration agreement, Roche is managing the study operations for this global, multicenter trial and Tempest retains all product rights.
About Amezalpat (TPST-1120)
Amezalpat is an oral, small molecule, selective PPARα antagonist. Tempest’s data suggest that amezalpat treats cancer by targeting tumor cells directly and by modulating immune suppressive cells and angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment. In an ongoing global randomized phase 1b/2 study of amezalpat in combination with atezolizumab and bevacizumab in first-line patients with advanced HCC, the amezalpat arm showed clinical superiority across multiple study endpoints when compared to atezolizumab and bevacizumab alone, the standard of care. These randomized data were supported by positive results observed in the Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with heavily pretreated advanced solid tumors.
About Hepatocellular Carcinoma
HCC is an aggressive cancer with rising mortality and is projected to become the third leading cause of cancer death by 2030.3 Every year, more than 900,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with HCC.4 Incidence and mortality are highest in East Asia and are increasing in parts of Europe and the US.5 In the US, HCC represents the fastest-rising cause of cancer-related death.3
3 | Rahib, L. et al. Projecting cancer incidence and deaths to 2030: the undexpected burden of thyroid, liver, and pancreas cancers in the United States. Cancer Res. 74, 2913-2921 (2014). |
4 | World Health Organization. Liver Cancer Factsheet. Globocan. 2020. Available at: https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/11-Liver-fact-sheet.pdf. Last accessed: April 2023. |
5 | Llovet, J. M., Kelley, R. K., Villanueva, A., et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Nature Reviews Disease Primers. 2021, 7(1), 6. |