GSK's Jemperli meets main goal in mid-stage rectal cancer trial

GSK said on Monday its cancer drug Jemperli met the primary goal of a mid-stage trial, with a clinically significant rate of patients showing no detectable signs of cancer for one year or ‌more after ⁠treatment ⁠for a specific type of locally advanced rectal cancer.

Here are some ​details:

* Dostarlimab, marketed as Jemperli, is being tested in rectal cancer tumours that cannot properly repair DNA damage, a subtype affecting 5%-10% of 730,000 annual global cases, according to GSK.


* Current standard of care ⁠typically includes ‌chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, and can lead ​to lifelong ​colostomy bag use and infertility.

* These tumours ⁠have a genetic characteristic where they cannot properly ​repair DNA damage, causing mutations to accumulate and ​making them highly responsive to immunotherapies like Jemperli.

* The interim data from the phase II AZUR-1 trial also showed dostarlimab's safety and tolerability profile was consistent with previous studies in solid tumours.

* Jemperli, already ‌approved in the U.S. and UK for specific endometrial cancer subtypes, generated sales of $1.1 ​billion in 2025, ​and GSK expects ⁠it to be an important contributor to its long-term sales target of more than £40 billion ($53.52 billion) by 2031.

* The drug ​has received both Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and GSK plans to share data with global regulators for review. ($1 = £0.7474)