Targeted IRAK4 protein degrader KT-413 did exactly what it was supposed to in an early-stage clinical trial, but Kymera Therapeutics is still jettisoning the program.
The Watertown, Massachusetts, biotech is cutting the lymphoma med for strategic reasons to focus resources on other areas of the pipeline, according to a Thursday third-quarter earnings release.
KT-413 had already shown target knockdown in the blood and tolerability in a phase 1 study. Kymera said the med achieved target degradation levels without spurring dose-limiting toxicities.
But, in this market, something has to go. The decision “reflects financial discipline around program prioritization,” said CEO Nello Mainolfi, Ph.D., in the release. The company will now be able to direct resources to therapies that have the potential to address larger patient populations with significant need and clear commercial opportunity.
“With the promise of our growing pipeline, and in the context of the changing diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treatment landscape, we have decided to discontinue the development of KT-413, despite the program having achieved desired target degradation levels without dose-limiting toxicities,” said Mainolfi.
The decision will extend Kymera’s cash runway into the first half of 2026, compared to a previous estimate of the second half of 2025. That should reach beyond key readouts for the biotech’s clinical programs. Kymera has $435 million in cash and equivalents as of Sept. 30.
With KT-413 cast off, Kymera will focus more on the Sanofi-partnered IRAK4 degrader KT-474/SAR444656. Sanofi just began dosing in a phase 2 study for hidradenitis suppurativa in October. The therapy is also being tested in atopic dermatitis. With the first patient receiving a dose, Kymera received a $40 million milestone payment.
Kymera will also showcase the lymphoma and solid tumor med KT-333 at the upcoming American Society of Hematology meeting. An abstract to be released today will detail a phase 1 clinical trial of 21 patients with 12 evaluable as of the data cutoff. Kymera said that one partial response had been achieved in a patient with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) after two treatment cycles, while three patients with solid tumors had stable disease after two cycles. The therapy was granted a fast-track designation in relapsed/refractory CTCL and relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma.
Enrollment has also been completed in a phase 1 study of KT-253 for solid tumors and lymphomas.
Kymera will hold a virtual R&D day on Jan. 4, 2024.