Breakthrough in Salivary Adenoid Gland Treatment: Elraglusib Combination Therapy Shows Extended Survival Benefits

Actuate Therapeutics (ACTU) unveiled compelling Phase II trial results demonstrating that elraglusib, when combined with standard chemotherapy agents carboplatin or cisplatin, significantly improves outcomes for patients battling advanced metastatic salivary gland cancers. The groundbreaking findings, published in Clinical Cancer Research, represent a meaningful step forward in treating adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and related malignancies.

Trial Design and Patient Population

The Phase II clinical study enrolled a diverse patient cohort spanning both adenoid cystic carcinoma and other salivary gland cancer subtypes, with ACC representing 47% of participants and non-ACC patients comprising 53%. This balanced representation provides insights into how the elraglusib combination approach performs across different histological subtypes affecting the adenoid gland and surrounding tissue.

Survival Metrics Paint Encouraging Picture

The survival data stands out as particularly noteworthy. Patients treated with the elraglusib combination achieved a median overall survival (OS) of 18.6 months, with 58% of the cohort still living after one year and 40% surviving at the two-year mark. Among non-ACC patients specifically, the median OS extended to 27.8 months—a substantial improvement that suggests differential therapeutic benefit based on cancer subtype.

Progression-Free Survival Substantially Outperforms Historical Benchmarks

Perhaps most striking is the progression-free survival (PFS) achievement. The trial demonstrated a median PFS of 6.4 months, with 27% of patients maintaining progression-free status beyond the one-year milestone. This performance substantially outpaces historical PFS estimates of approximately 49 months for ACC populations and under 6 months for non-ACC cancers, indicating the combination therapy’s potential to alter the natural disease trajectory.

Market Response Reflects Clinical Promise

Following the positive announcement, Actuate Therapeutics shares experienced a market uplift, rising over 4% in pre-market trading. The stock closed Friday’s session at $7.52, reflecting a 1.35% gain and signaling investor confidence in the clinical advances demonstrated by this Phase II evaluation.