BeiGene doses first patient in Phase 1 study of BGB-283

BeiGene (Beijing), Co., Ltd., today announced dose administration for the first patient in a Phase 1 study of BGB-283 in patients with B-RAF or K-RAS mutations. BGB-283 is an investigational, oral, selective, potent second generation inhibitor of B-RAF, making it a targeted therapeutic candidate to potentially treat and bring benefit to patients with cancers that harbor BRAF mutations and/or aberrations in the RAS-MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway.

"As the first second generation BRAF inhibitor to enter the clinic, BGB-283 represents one of the more exciting prospects in targeted cancer therapies," said John Oyler, CEO of BeiGene. "BeiGene is dedicated to discovering and developing better targeted cancer therapeutics to address the unmet medical needs of cancer patients. We strive to use our deep understanding of cancer biology and translational medicine platform and our experience in drug discovery and development to bring more compounds like BGB-283 into the clinic."

"We are very excited to have commenced dosing on the first-in-human trial of BGB-283, which has been specifically developed for the treatment of patients with BRAF and RAS driven cancers," said Dr. Jayesh Desai, lead investigator at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Chair of the Cancer Trials Australia Phase I Group. "All patients enrolled onto this trial will be pre-selected based on having the appropriate genomic background. This approach will hopefully accelerate our ability to understand the safety, tolerability and efficacy of BGB-283."

BGB-283 is part of BeiGene's two-asset strategic collaboration with Merck. Established earlier this year, the goal of the partnership is to leverage Merck's global oncology development and commercialization expertise.