Ji Lin

Phase I Study of LY2606368, a Checkpoint Kinase 1 Inhibitor, in Patients With Advanced Cancer

PURPOSE The primary objective was to determine safety, toxicity, and a recommended phase II dose regimen of LY2606368, an inhibitor of checkpoint kinase 1, as monotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS This phase I, nonrandomized, open-label, dose-escalation trial used a 3 + 3 dose-escalation scheme and included patients with advanced solid tumors. Intravenous LY2606368 was dose escalated from 10 to 50 mg/m(2) on schedule 1 (days 1 to 3 every 14 days) or from 40 to 130 mg/m(2) on schedule 2 (day 1 every 14 days). Safety measures and pharmacokinetics were assessed, and pharmacodynamics were measured in blood, hair follicles, and circulating tumor cells. RESULTS Forty-five patients were treated; seven experienced dose-limiting toxicities (all hematologic). The maximum-tolerated doses (MTDs) were 40 mg/m(2) (schedule 1) and 105 mg/m(2) (schedule 2). The most common related grade 3 or 4 treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia, leukopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and fatigue. Grade 4 neutropenia occurred in 73.3% of patients and was transient (typically < 5 days). Febrile neutropenia incidence was low (7%). The LY2606368 exposure over the first 72 hours (area under the curve from 0 to 72 hours) at the MTD for each schedule coincided with the exposure in mouse xenografts that resulted in maximal tumor responses. Minor intra- and intercycle accumulation of LY2606368 was observed at the MTDs for both schedules. Two patients (4.4%) had a partial response; one had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anus and one had SCC of the head and neck. Fifteen patients (33.3%) had a best overall response of stable disease (range, 1.2 to 6.7 months), six of whom had SCC. CONCLUSION An LY2606368 dose of 105 mg/m(2) once every 14 days is being evaluated as the recommended phase II dose in dose-expansion cohorts for patients with SCC.

A randomized, phase 2 evaluation of the CHK1 inhibitor, LY2603618, administered in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin in patients with advanced nonsquamous non‐small cell lung cancer

This phase 2 portion of a phase 1/2 study examined the efficacy and safety of LY2603618, a selective checkpoint kinase 1 inhibitor, combined with pemetrexed and cisplatin (LY+Pem+Cis) in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label study (NCT01139775) enrolled patients with stage IV nonsquamous NSCLC and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤1. Patients were randomized (2:1) to LY+Pem+Cis or pemetrexed and cisplatin (Pem+Cis). Induction therapy comprised four 21-day cycles of 500 mg/m2 pemetrexed and 75mg/m2 cisplatin on Day 1 (both arms) and 275mg LY2603618 on Day 2 (LY+Pem+Cis arm). Maintenance therapy comprised 500mg/m2 pemetrexed on Day 1 (both arms) and 275mg LY2603618 on Day 2 (LY+Pem+Cis arm) until disease progression. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Enrollment was permanently halted before target enrollment was met due to a greater number of thromboembolic events in the LY+Pem+Cis arm. Sixty-two patients were enrolled (LY+Pem+Cis, n=39; Pem+Cis, n=23). Bayesian and frequentist analysis demonstrated superior PFS in the LY+Pem+Cis arm vs the Pem+Cis arm (median [90% confidence interval]: LY+Pem+Cis, 4.7 months [4.-7.1]; Pem+Cis, 1.5 months [1.3-2.9]; P=0.022). Seven patients in the LY+Pem+Cis arm (vs 0 in the Pem+Cis arm) experienced serious thromboembolic events: pulmonary embolism (n=5), ischemic stroke (n=1), and cerebrovascular accident (n=1). Although the primary endpoint was met, the combination of LY2603618+Pem+Cis will not be further developed for treating advanced nonsquamous NSCLC due to the potential increased risk of thromboembolic events with this combination. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01139775.

A First-in-Human Phase 1 Study of LY3023414, an Oral PI3K/mTOR Dual Inhibitor, in Patients with Advanced Cancer

Purpose: The PI3K/mTOR pathway is frequently aberrated in cancer. LY3023414 is a potent and selective ATP-competitive inhibitor of class I PI3K isoforms, mTOR, and DNA-PK. Here we report the dose-escalation results of the first-in-human phase I study of LY3023414. Patients and Methods: A 3+3 dose escalation for once-daily and twice-daily oral dosing of LY3023414 was followed by an expansion cohort for CYP3A4 drug–drug interaction (DDI) assessment. The primary objective was to determine the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). Additional objectives included safety, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, and antitumor activity. Results: Forty-seven patients with solid tumors received LY3023414 at once-daily (20–450 mg) or twice-daily dosing (150–250 mg). Dose-limiting toxicities were observed at 450 mg once-daily (thrombocytopenia, hypotension, hyperkalemia) in three of three patients, 250-mg twice-daily dosing (hypophosphatemia, fatigue, mucositis) in three of four patients, and in one of 15 patients at 200 mg twice-daily (nausea). Common related AEs included nausea (38%), fatigue (34%), and vomiting (32%) and were mostly mild or moderate. LY3023414 pharmacokinetics demonstrated dose-dependent increase in exposure with ≥ 90% target inhibition at doses ≥150 mg. DDI analysis demonstrated LY3023414 to be a weak inhibitor of CYP3A4. Durable partial response was observed in a patient with endometrial cancer harboring PIK3R1 and PTEN truncating mutations, and 13 additional patients (28%) had a decrease in their target lesions by up to 30%. Conclusions: LY3023414 has a tolerable safety profile and single-agent activity in patients with advanced cancers. The RP2D of LY3023414 monotherapy is 200 mg twice daily based on safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data. Clin Cancer Res; 24(14); 3253–62. ©2018 AACR.

Abstract CT240: Checkpoint kinase (CHK) 1/2 inhibitor LY2606368 in a phase I dose-expansion study in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Background: LY2606368 is a CHK1/2 inhibitor. In addition to its role in DNA damage response, CHK1 also phosphorylates multiple downstream targets that regulate DNA replication, chromosome alignment, spindle checkpoints, and exit from cytokinesis. Since potent inhibition of CHK1 is predicted to generate DNA damage and mitotic catastrophe, LY2606368 was evaluated as a single agent in expansion cohorts of patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Methods: This was a phase I, multicenter, nonrandomized, open-label study in patients with advanced cancer (NCT01115790). Based on results from the dose-escalation phase, dose-expansion cohorts were comprised of patients with SCC given LY2606368 at the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 105 mg/m 2 on day 1 of a 14-day schedule. Cohorts were defined by tumor location and by line of treatment. Patients were assessed for safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy. Pretreatment biopsies were obtained for pharmacogenomic analysis, including human papillomavirus (HPV) status. Aggregate results from patients with recurrent/metastatic SCCHN are presented. Results: Fifty-seven patients with recurrent/metastatic SCCHN were enrolled in the dose-expansion phase. Over 50% of patients had received ≥2 prior lines of treatment (median of 3 cycles; range: 1 to 5) in the recurrent/metastatic setting. The most frequently reported adverse event (AE) was a transient (typically 10% of patients included thrombocytopenia (44%), anemia (25%), fatigue (23%), and headache (14%). The majority of non-hematologic AEs were grade 1 or 2 (per Common Terminology Criteria) in severity. Three patients (5%) had a partial response and 25 patients (44%) had stable disease for at least 3 cycles. The duration of response ranged from 4.8-7.8+ months, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 1.6 months (90% confidence interval: 1.4, 2.8). Biopsy samples were evaluable from 34 patients. The median PFS by HPV status was 4.5 months in 15 patients who were HPV positive, and 1.4 months in 19 patients who were HPV negative (log-rank test, p = .0012). Conclusions: LY2606368 has an acceptable safety profile and demonstrates modest preliminary activity in a subset of patients with recurrent/metastatic SCCHN. The MTD of 105 mg/m 2 is confirmed as the recommended dose for phase II testing. Citation Format: Johanna Bendell, Stefan Grant, Filip Janku, Jeffrey Infante, William N. William, Todd M. Bauer, Sarina Piha-Paul, Ricardo Martinez, Sameera Wijayawardana, Ji Lin, Lisa Golden, Aimee Bence Lin, David Hong. Checkpoint kinase (CHK) 1/2 inhibitor LY2606368 in a phase I dose-expansion study in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr CT240. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-CT240

Abstract LB-200: Dose and schedule determination of the Chk1/2 inhibitor LY2606368 in patients with solid tumors.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Background: LY2606368 mesylate hydrate (LY2606368) is a Chk1/2 inhibitor. In addition to its role in DNA damage response, Chk1 also phosphorylates multiple downstream targets that regulate DNA replication, chromosome alignment, spindle checkpoints, and exit from cytokinesis. Since potent inhibition of Chk1 is predicted to generate DNA damage and mitotic catastrophe, this study evaluated LY2606368 as a single agent. Methods: Two schedules of LY2606368 were assessed in this dose escalation study: dosing on days 1-3 every 14 days (Schedule [Sch] 1) and dosing on day 1 every 14 days (Sch 2). Patients were assessed for safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamic (PD), and dose-limiting toxicities (DLT). Results: A total of 45 patients were enrolled, 27 of which were treated on Sch 1 at doses of 10-50 mg/m2 while 18 patients were treated on Sch 2 at doses of 40-130 mg/m2. The most frequently reported AE, regardless of schedule, was a transient (typically < 5 days) decrease in neutrophil count, which occurred in 93% of patients (Grade 4 in 73% of patients). A total of 3 patients (6.7%) experienced febrile neutropenia. Other common toxicities, regardless of causality, included white blood cell decrease (84%), anemia (73%), fatigue (56%), platelet count decreased (53%), nausea (36%), constipation (29%), anorexia (27%), vomiting (27%), dyspnea (20%), and fever (20%). The majority of the non-hematologic toxicities were CTCAE Grade 1/2 in severity. Hematologic toxicity was the dose limiting toxicity on both schedules. The MTD for Sch 1 was 40 mg/m2 and for Sch 2 was 105 mg/m2. The systemic exposure of LY2606368 increased in a dose-dependent manner across the dose range of 10-130 mg/m2 for both schedules. The LY2606368 half-life is suitable for achieving acceptable exposure while minimizing intra- and intercycle accumulation for either schedule. The exposure at MTD for both schedules is in the range that correlates to the minimal tumor response in nonclinical xenograft models. The nonclinical PK/PD model predicts an average pChk1% inhibition of ∼50% and ∼70% for 72 hours is required for minimum and maximum tumor responses, respectively. Simulations of human PK/PD profiles predict that the exposure and average pChk1% inhibition at the MTD of each schedule achieve the requirements for the minimum tumor response. One patient with SCC of the anus achieved a PR (60% reduction). Ten of the 45 patients (22%) achieved SD including 4/7 (57%) HNSCC patients (range on treatment: 3-7.5mo) that had received multiple prior therapies. Conclusions: Based on the nonclinical PK/PD model, clinical human PK, human PD simulations, the similar safety profile, and the increased patient convenience, a dose of 105 mg/m2 of LY2606368, administered once every 14 days was selected as the schedule to further evaluate in Part B of the study, a dose expansion component which will focus on patients with squamous histology tumors. Citation Format: Johanna C. Bendell, Filip Janku, Jeffrey Infante, Suzanne Jones, Howard Burris, Lisa Golden, Scott M. Hynes, Ji Lin, Aimee K. Bence, Susan Tse, Razelle Kurzrock, David Hong. Dose and schedule determination of the Chk1/2 inhibitor LY2606368 in patients with solid tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-200. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-200