Daiichi Sankyo announced that the first patient has been dosed in a global phase 2 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of DS-7300 in patients with pretreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). DS-7300 is a specifically designed potential first-in-class B7-H3 directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC) discovered and being developed by Daiichi Sankyo.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with up to 14% being classified as SCLC in the U.S. Most patients with SCLC are diagnosed with extensive-stage disease and have a 5-year survival rate as low as 3%, highlighting the significant unmet need for more effective treatment options. B7-H3 is overexpressed in a wide range of cancer types, including SCLC, and its overexpression has been shown to correlate with poor prognosis in some cancers, making B7-H3 a promising therapeutic target.

“Patients with pretreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer have limited treatment options following disease progression,” said Gilles Gallant, BPharm, PhD, FOPQ, Senior Vice President, Global Head, Oncology Clinical Development, Oncology R&D, Daiichi Sankyo. “Based on the encouraging results seen in the ongoing phase 1/2 trial, we have initiated this phase 2 trial of DS-7300 to further evaluate whether targeting B7-H3 with our DXd antibody drug conjugate technology may become a potential treatment option for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.”