Last checked at 
(Alliance News) - Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy said Monday that the second expansion cohort in its phase I/II MATINS clinical trial investigating the safety and efficiency of Clevegen cancer drug will be in patients with ovarian cancer.
The MATINS clinical trial is investigating the drug, which targets metastatic cancers, forms of the disease which spread to new areas of the body, and inoperable tumours, which cannot be removed from the body surgically.
Turku, Finland-based Faron said the initiation of the second cohort follows approval from the MATINS trial's data monitoring committee earlier in January, to initiate the study's first expansion cohort in patients suffering from late-stage colorectal, or bowel, cancer.
Ovarian cancer is a tumour type known to host a significant number of Clever-1 positive tumour associated macrophage, the company said.
"Large transcript analysis of ovarian tumours indicates significant outcome differences between patients with either high or low Clever-1 expression. Patients with high Clever-1 expression have short life expectancies under current treatment options," the company said.
Markku Jalkanen, chief executive officer, said: "Data collected so far in the MATINS trial are highly encouraging, with Clevegen establishing itself as a potential immunotherapy capable of downregulating a range of major inhibitory immune checkpoints across several cancers."
"Initiation of this additional expansion cohort signals our commitment to rapidly progress the development of Clevegen in patients with limited effective treatment options," Jalkanen said.
Faron shares were trading 0.5% lower in London at 246.30 pence each on Monday.
By Loreta Juodagalvyte; loretajuodagalvyte@alliancenews.com
Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.