Vivace’s Hippo Pathway Drug VT3989 Gets Fast Track

Vivace Therapeutics has received an FDA fast track designation for its lead cancer drug VT3989, a first-in-class TEAD autopalmitoylation inhibitor being developed for patients with unresectable malignant mesothelioma that has progressed following treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor and platinum-based chemotherapy.

Vivace is currently evaluating VT3989 in a Phase 1 open-label trial (NCT04665206) enrolling patients with refractory metastatic solid tumors, including both pleural and non-pleural forms of mesothelioma. The company says more than 200 patients have been treated so far, with data showing early signs of clinical efficacy and a favorable safety profile.

VT3989 is said to work by blocking the palmitoylation of TEAD proteins, a post-translational modification critical to the function of the Hippo pathway — a signaling network implicated in tumor growth and therapy resistance.