RE: Countdown to P3 ...14 Aug 2025 11:58
I get the Avacta comparison — both have unprecedented early data in diseases with no effective standard of care, yet the market cap doesn’t reflect the potential. But there are key differences. AVA6000’s results are mainly stable disease with some partial responses, which is promising, but it’s not the same as deep, durable remission. Regulators still need larger, later-phase confirmation, so FDA fast-tracking isn’t realistic yet. HG-CT-01 in r/r AML is playing in a far harsher arena — median survival is only 4–5 months without transplant, and relapse is almost inevitable. Durable remission in even one patient without HSCT raises eyebrows; here we have two consecutive patients with sustained benefit, one very liley on path to MRD-negative and the other vlikely on the same path, both treated at the lowest dose with no dose-limiting toxicities — unheard of for AML CAR-T. The market’s muted reaction in both cases comes down to lack of a pharma partner so far, early-stage small patient numbers, and general investor unfamiliarity with how unusual these results are. The difference is HG-CT-01 already has a major piece of regulatory validation — the FDA has expanded to pediatrics after just two adults, something that doesn’t happen in AML without a benefit–risk profile that’s overwhelmingly positive. In terms of commercial potential, Avacta’s AVA6000 in metastatic salivary gland cancer might realistically be a ~$250M/year product if approved, with additional upside from expansion into other tumours. HG-CT-01, if it achieves curative potential in r/r AML and expands into earlier lines, paediatrics, and other FLT3⁺ malignancies (like BPDCN and subsets of ALL), could be addressing a $3–5B/year global market. Yet Avacta is valued at ~£200M for a program still proving clinical impact, while Hemogenyx sits at ~£6M despite having potentially paradigm-shifting data in one of the hardest cancers to treat. That disconnect won’t last once a partner or licensing deal validates the science — HG-CT-01 isn’t “further behind,” it’s arguably more de-risked in its field than AVA6000 is in solid tumours, and positioned for a deal well before Phase 1 is complete.