Shares of Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:DCPH) plunged $27.18, or 75.5%, to close at $8.82 on top-line results from the phase III study called Intrigue with Qinlock (ripretinib) in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) previously treated with kinase inhibitor Gleevec (imatinib, Novartis AG).
Zai Lab Ltd., China rights holder for the Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc. drug Qinlock (ripretinib), has obtained NMPA approval for the therapy, a treatment for adults with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) previously treated with three or more kinase inhibitors, including imatinib, sunitinib and regorafenib.
Only hours after Blueprint Medicines Corp. disclosed an FDA complete response letter for avapritinib in fourth-line gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s kinase inhibitor, ripretinib, won the agency’s approval for the same indication, well ahead of its Aug. 13 PDUFA date.
The phase III failure of Blueprint Medicines Corp.’s avapritinib to meet its primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) pummeled the company stock on Tuesday but boosted shares and hopes at Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Cambridge, Mass.-based Blueprint Medicines Corp.’s price tag and label for Ayvakit (avapritinib) caused some chagrin on Wall Street as observers continued to weigh the drug’s odds against ripretinib, the competing drug for which Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc. awaits regulatory action.