– Phase 1 dose-escalation study to evaluate KO-2806 as a monotherapy and in combination with targeted therapies in KRAS^G12C-mutant NSCLC and ccRCC –

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in the FIT-001 Phase 1 dose-escalation trial of KO-2806, the Company’s next-generation farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI) for the treatment of advanced solid tumors.

“We’re excited to advance our next-generation FTI drug candidate into the clinical setting, underscoring our commitment and sense of urgency to develop novel therapies for cancer indications with high unmet medical needs,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kura Oncology. “Our understanding of how to use FTIs to target farnesylated proteins has matured significantly beyond our initial strategy to target HRAS mutant tumors. With the success of targeted therapies such as KRAS^G12C inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and EGFR inhibitors, there is now considerable focus on the development of companion therapeutics that have potential to drive enhanced antitumor activity and address mechanisms of innate and adaptive resistance. We will focus the development of KO-2806 initially in combinations in the areas of lung cancer and renal cell carcinomas and, if successful, we believe KO-2806 could become the ideal combination partner for a wide range of targeted therapies.”

FIT-001 is a Phase 1, first-in-human, multicenter, open-label study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary antitumor activity of KO-2806 when administered as monotherapy and in combination with targeted therapies. Concurrent with the monotherapy dose escalation, the Company plans to evaluate KO-2806 in dose-escalation combination cohorts with other targeted therapies, beginning in KRAS^G12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). For more information regarding FIT-001, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT06026410).

About KO-2806

KO-2806 is a next-generation inhibitor of farnesyl transferase designed to improve upon potency, pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties of earlier FTI drug candidates. Earlier this month at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, Kura presented promising preclinical data supporting the rationale for combining KO-2806 with distinct classes of targeted therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, KRAS^G12C inhibitors and KRAS^G12D inhibitors. Additional information about clinical trials for KO-2806 can be found at https://kuraoncology.com/clinical-trials/#farnesyl-transferase-inhibitor.

About Kura Oncology

Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The Company’s pipeline consists of small molecule drug candidates that target cancer signaling pathways. Ziftomenib is a once-daily, oral drug candidate targeting the menin-KMT2A protein-protein interaction for the treatment of genetically defined acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with high unmet need. Kura is currently enrolling patients in a Phase 2 registration-directed trial of ziftomenib in NPM1-mutant relapsed or refractory AML (KOMET-001). The Company is also conducting a series of studies to evaluate ziftomenib in combination with current standards of care, beginning with venetoclax/azacitidine and standard induction cytarabine/daunorubicin chemotherapy in NPM1-mutant and KMT2A-rearranged newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory AML (KOMET-007). Tipifarnib, a potent and selective FTI, is currently in a Phase 1/2 trial in combination with alpelisib for patients with PIK3CA-dependent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (KURRENT-HN). Kura is also preparing to evaluate KO-2806, a next-generation FTI, in a Phase 1 dose-escalation trial as a monotherapy and in combination with other targeted therapies, beginning with KRAS^G12C-mutant NSCLC and ccRCC (FIT-001). For additional information, please visit Kura’s website at www.kuraoncology.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the efficacy, safety and therapeutic potential of KO-2806, potential benefits of combining KO-2806 with appropriate standards of care, and progress and expected timing of the KO-2806 program and clinical trials. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include the risk that compounds that appeared promising in early research or clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or efficacy in later preclinical studies or clinical trials, the risk that Kura may not obtain approval to market its product candidates, uncertainties associated with performing clinical trials, regulatory filings, applications and other interactions with regulatory bodies, risks associated with reliance on third parties to successfully conduct clinical trials, the risks associated with reliance on outside financing to meet capital requirements, and other risks associated with the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such drugs. You are urged to consider statements that include the words “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “promise,” “potential,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “continues,” “designed,” “goal,” or the negative of those words or other comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking. For a further list and description of the risks and uncertainties the Company faces, please refer to the Company's periodic and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 filed with the SEC on August 9, 2023, which are available at www.sec.gov. Such forward-looking statements are current only as of the date they are made, and Kura assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

Investors:
Pete De Spain
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations &
Corporate Communications
(858) 500-8833
[email protected]

Media:
Alexandra Weingarten
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
(858) 500-8822
[email protected]