NGM Bio Initiates Expansion of Ongoing Phase 1b Proof-of-Concept Study of NGM120 in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

--Placebo-controlled study to evaluate potential of NGM120, a novel inhibitor of GDF15/GFRAL pathway, to treat cancer and cancer-related cachexia--

--Cachexia, a wasting syndrome, is a common co-morbidity of cancer and associated with shortened survival--

--Expansion follows completion of enrollment in open-label dose-escalation safety portion of Phase 1a/1b study in patients with select advanced solid tumors and metastatic pancreatic cancer--

--NGM120 program builds on discoveries by NGM scientists related to GDF15 pathway biology, including identifying its cognate receptor, GFRAL--

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGM), a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing transformative therapeutics for patients, today announced it has dosed the first patient in an expansion of its ongoing Phase 1b proof-of-concept study of NGM120 in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. NGM120 is an antagonistic antibody that binds glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor receptor alpha-like (GFRAL) and inhibits growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) signaling. This placebo-controlled study will evaluate the effect of NGM120 on both cancer and cancer-related cachexia. Cachexia is the uncontrolled wasting of both skeletal muscle and fat linked to many cancers. It is estimated to affect 60% to 80% of advanced cancer patients and to be responsible for approximately 30% of all cancer deaths¹. This proof-of-concept expansion represents a pre-planned progression of an ongoing Phase 1a/1b dose-finding clinical trial NGM is conducting in patients with select advanced solid tumors and metastatic pancreatic cancer.

NGM is a leader in research elucidating the central role of the GDF15/GFRAL pathway in promoting tumor-associated appetite regulation, metabolic regulation and immune modulation. Through systematic screening of human secreted factors in preclinical models, NGM identified that GDF15 expression has the ability to promote an outsized effect in weight loss. Evidence has also shown that serum levels of GDF15 are elevated in patients with a number of tumor types, including non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, pancreatic, prostate, colorectal, gastric, esophageal and ovarian cancer, and are associated with a worse prognosis in multiple cancers.