BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Lisata Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSTA), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, today shared promising preclinical data for its cancer drug candidate, certepetide, at the 2024 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Annual Conference. The study, conducted by Dr. Dan G. Duda of Massachusetts General Hospital, indicated that certepetide could improve survival rates in mice with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a type of liver cancer.
Certepetide, when combined with standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy, showed a significant increase in survival, reduction in disease symptoms, and a 76% decrease in the risk of death in the mouse model. Furthermore, the treatment was well-tolerated, with no additional toxicities observed. Certepetide appears to facilitate the infiltration of immune cells into tumors, which could be beneficial for patients with this aggressive cancer.
Dr. Kristen K. Buck, Chief Medical Officer at Lisata, expressed optimism about certepetide's potential for treating advanced solid tumors. Lisata is currently conducting a Phase 2a clinical trial known as the BOLSTER trial to evaluate the drug in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for cholangiocarcinoma. An additional arm of the trial will soon assess certepetide with chemoimmunotherapy.
Certepetide is designed to enhance the delivery of anti-cancer drugs to solid tumors by activating a novel uptake pathway, potentially making treatments more effective. It has received Fast Track designation in the U.S. and Orphan Drug Designation for pancreatic cancer in both the U.S. and E.U., as well as for glioma and osteosarcoma in the U.S.
Lisata Therapeutics focuses on developing innovative therapies for serious diseases, with certepetide being their lead product candidate. The company anticipates sharing further updates on the BOLSTER trial throughout the year, with results expected in 2025. The projected capital is believed to fund operations into early 2026, covering anticipated clinical trial milestones.
This news is based on a press release statement from Lisata Therapeutics.
In other recent news,The European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted a pediatric waiver for Lisata's lead investigational product in pancreatic cancer, allowing the company to streamline its development program and potentially accelerate the drug's path to market registration in Europe. This development comes on the heels of Lisata reporting positive interim results from the ASCEND trial in pancreatic cancer during its first quarter of 2024 earnings call.
The company is currently conducting nearly a dozen global clinical trials for certepetide, targeting various solid tumor cancers. The top-line data from the ASCEND trial, expected in Q4 2024, is crucial for the development program and plans.
InvestingPro Insights
As Lisata Therapeutics (NASDAQ:LSTA) continues to progress with its clinical trials for certepetide, the company's financial health and market performance provide a backdrop to its scientific endeavors. Notably, Lisata holds more cash than debt on its balance sheet, an InvestingPro Tip that suggests a stable financial position to support ongoing research and development activities. However, it is important to note that analysts are not optimistic about the company's profitability in the near term, as another InvestingPro Tip indicates they do not anticipate Lisata will be profitable this year.
In terms of market data, Lisata's Market Cap stands at 27.91M USD, reflecting the current valuation of the company in the market. The Price / Book ratio as of the last twelve months leading up to Q1 2024 is 0.65, which could imply that the stock is potentially undervalued relative to its assets. Additionally, the stock's performance has shown a Year-To-Date Price Total Return of 23.08%, signaling a notable increase in investor confidence so far this year, despite a decline of 7.44% over the past year.
For investors looking to delve deeper into Lisata's financials and market performance, InvestingPro offers additional insights, including a total of 7 InvestingPro Tips related to the company. Interested readers can explore these tips and more detailed metrics by visiting https://www.investing.com/pro/LSTA. To enhance your investment research, use the coupon code PRONEWS24 to get up to 10% off a yearly Pro and a yearly or biyearly Pro+ subscription.
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