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Amplia Therapeutics’ Chris Burns outlines what he sees as a pivotal year for the company, centred on lead candidate Narmafotinib for metastatic pancreatic cancer (ASX:ATX). Burns states that pancreatic cancer remains one of the hardest tumours to treat due to its dense fibrotic “shell”, which he says prevents chemotherapy and immune cells from effectively reaching cancer cells. Narmafotinib is presented as an oral focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor designed to break down this scar-like tissue, enhance drug penetration, and block tumour growth and resistance pathways.
Burns highlights new independent read data from the ACCENT trial, combining Narmafotinib with standard gemcitabine and Abraxane. Across 64 patients on the 400mg dose, he reports five complete responses, which he characterises as unprecedented versus historical chemotherapy outcomes. In the Part B cohort, Burns cites a 36% objective response rate and median overall survival of 11.1 months, which he views as materially better than chemotherapy alone, with safety profiles broadly similar to standard treatment.
Looking ahead, Burns points to upcoming catalysts: updates from the SIMPLIFY study, initiation of an ovarian cancer trial, and potential combinations with KRAS inhibitors. He emphasises funding into 2027 and an active search for regional partnerships and potential big pharma collaboration.
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