Part 1 results from NOVA-II, a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled phase II study evaluating the safety and efficacy of OQL011 on VEGFR inhibitor associated hand-foot skin reaction in cancer patients.

Abstract

TPS396 Background: Hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR) is associated with the use of multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors sharing vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitory (VEGFRi) activity (e.g., cabozantinib, regorafenib, sorafenib, sunitinib). HFSR affects the palms and soles with edema, erythema, hyperkeratosis, pain, and bullae/blisters impacting quality-of-life, activities of daily living, and consistent VEGFRi dosing. HFSR incidence differs among VEGFRi, ranging from 5-69% (all grades) and 1-19% (grade 3). Topical urea has marginal benefit, and to date, there are no regulatory authority approved HFSR treatments. The pathogenesis of HFSR has been partially associated with impaired vascular repair mechanisms resulting from inhibition of VEGF signaling. Nitric oxide (NO) has been reported to induce VEGF upregulation at a moderate concentration. We hypothesized that topical stimulation of VEGF signaling through OQL011, an NO donor, will safely and effectively mitigate HFSR. Methods: NOVA-II is a phase 2, double-blind, randomized vehicle-controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of OQL011 for the treatment of moderate to severe HFSR. Subjects receiving a VEGFRi (either mono- or combination therapy) and have Grade ≥2 HFSR per NCI CTCAE v5.0 for palmar plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE) were eligible. For Part 1, 31 subjects were randomized (2:1) and received 0.2% OQL011 topical ointment or vehicle TID for 6 weeks. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients who achieve an NCI CTCAE v5.0 for PPE Grade 0 or 1 by Week 3. An investigator global assessment (IGA) scale is being developed to assess HFSR recovery, and a secondary endpoint will measure the proportion of patients who have improvement in HFSR severity and achieve an IGA score of clear (0) or almost clear (1) by Week 3 and/or Week 6. A Chi-square test will be used to detect a difference between the treatment arm and the vehicle-control arm. Additionally, the IGA score will be validated by assessing the inter- & intra-rater reliability. The correlation between IGA, NCI CTCAE v5.0 for PPE, and patient outcomes including Visual Analog Scale of Pain, HFSR Quality of Life questionnaire will also be reported. This study began enrolling patients in December 2019 and completed the last patient Visit in August 2021. Data lock, unblinding and data analysis will be completed by mid-November. Clinical trial information: NCT04088318.