Investors looking for possibilities in the biopharmaceutical sector have plenty of options to consider, and one of those could be Panbela Therapeutics Inc. (OTC: PBLA). The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is involved in the development of disruptive therapeutics meant for patients suffering from urgent unmet needs.
On April 22, the company entered the news cycle after it announced that the interim data analysis from its on-going ASPIRE trial would be made available at some point in the first quarter of 2025. The company revealed that the delay in the publication of the analysis had been brought about by the results of the current event rate of the trial, which had been lower than had been previously anticipated. However, that was also an indication of the fact that patients had lived longer than earlier estimates.
The ASPIRE trial had been commissioned to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ivospemin (SBP 101), the lead product candidate of Panbela Therapeutics, in combination with nabpaclitaxel and gemcitabine in patients suffering from metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In the news release, the company noted that the trial required 33% of the total expected events to take place prior to the beginning of the interim analysis process.
As per the latest assessment, less than 50% of the required events necessary for the interim analysis had actually occurred. The President and Chief Executive Officer of Panbela Therapeutics, Jennifer K. Simpson, spoke about the latest announcement from the company yesterday. She stated that the management had initially expected the interim analysis to occur at some point in mid-2024. However, the management was also encouraged by the fact that there had been a lower than anticipated event rate since it demonstrated that the patients who were part of the ASPIRE trial had actually survived for a longer period, she added.
