Syros Pharma down 5% on updated data on lead candidate

Thinly traded micro cap Syros Pharmaceuticals (SYRS -4.8%) slips on average volume on the heels of update results from its ongoing 40-subject Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating lead drug SY-1425, combined with chemo agent azacitidine, in newly diagnosed patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are unsuitable for standard chemo.

The company says the combination continues to show high complete response rates in a subset of AML patients who express a biomarker called RARA (n=13).

In the RARA group, the complete response (CR)rate was 62% (n=8/13) (includes one with incomplete blood count recovery) (CRi). Duration of responses were up to 344 days.

The CR/CRi rate in RARA-negative patients was 27% (n=6/22).

The combo was not effective in the IRF8 biomarker-positive group (n=4) considering that the CR/CRi rate was 0% so the company will use only RARA going forward, adding that this subgroup comprises ~30% of newly diagnosed AML cases.

The study has been a long haul. It started over three years ago (August 2016) and is not expected to wind up until late 2021.

SY-1425 is a selective RARA (retinoic acid receptor alpha) agonist.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3509167-syros-pharma-5-percent-updated-data-lead-candidate