Scandion Oncology A/S announced the second confirmed partial response in the last cohort in the ongoing Part 3 of the CORIST Phase IIa colorectal cancer trial with Scandion?s lead compound SCO-101. This further supports the concept of combining SCO-101 with chemotherapy. In the last trial cohort, two of the six total patients have had a partial response, i.e. tumor reduction of more than 30%, which is considered an important measurement of the effect of cancer treatments.

This cohort utilized a four-day dosing schedule. The CORIST Part 3 trial evaluates Scandion?s lead compound SCO-101 as a combination treatment with FOLFIRI chemotherapy in 25 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and previously demonstrated resistance to FOLFIRI. The trial included 25 patients in 4 cohorts of which 21 patients were evaluable in 2 different schedules.

The patients were heavily pretreated and no other active treatment options were available. Part 3 of the trial is designed to provide an optimized dose and schedule for SCO-101 and chemotherapy to ensure maximum effect in patients with mCRC. In January 2024, positive topline from the CORIST Part 3 trial was reported confirming the treatment is safe and well-tolerated with encouraging signs of efficacy.

Confirmed partial response was observed in one patient in the last cohort of the second schedule. Median Progression Free Survival (PFS) was 4.6 months in Part 3, superior to the PFS reported in CORIST part 2, and Clinical Benefit Rate (CBR) was 76% after eight weeks of treatment, a significant increase from the 46% CBR from CORIST Part 2. Based on the positive outcome of part 3 will design next steps of the study in one or more smaller patient cohorts to further optimize the dose of irinotecan in combination with SCO-101.