Verrica Pharmaceuticals’ oncolytic peptide that could help eliminate or ease the burden of surgery in basal cell carcinoma has shown signs of efficacy in a mid-phase study.
In a secondary endpoint in a 92-patient Phase 2 trial, 51% of basal cell carcinoma lesions dosed with Verrica’s VP-315 saw complete histologic clearance with no residual cells. The lesions that didn’t clear saw their size reduce by 71%, according to interim data from the open-label trial.
But the company’s share price $VRCA plummeted by as much as 30% on Wednesday. The standard of care for basal cell carcinoma is excision with surgery, which has a 95% histological clearance rate.
According to an AlphaSense transcript, the company told investors during its second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday that it believes VP-315 has the potential to act as a “step in between” diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma and surgery.
Øystein Rekdal
VP-315 can also be
