Oric Pharmaceuticals (ORIC) 2024 Cantor Fitzgerald Global Healthcare Conference summary

Pipeline overview and strategic focus

• Focused on small molecule drug development for solid tumors, mainly prostate, lung, and breast cancers, with three programs advanced through dose escalation and two moving to later-stage development.

• ORIC-944 targets PRC2 in prostate cancer, aiming to overcome resistance to AR modulators; ORIC-114 is a brain-penetrant inhibitor for EGFR/HER2 mutations, targeting lung cancer and other solid tumors.

• Both lead programs are in dose optimization, with plans to start registrational studies in the second half of next year.

Competitive landscape and drug differentiation

• ORIC-944 aims to improve on prior PRC2 inhibitors with a 20-hour half-life, no CYP autoinduction, and low interpatient variability, addressing limitations seen in competitors like Pfizer and Ipsen.

• Pfizer's EZH2 inhibitor showed strong PFS improvements in prostate cancer, but ORIC-944 targets the EED subunit, potentially offering longer-term resistance benefits.

• Ipsen's tazemetostat data was questioned due to enrolling a healthier, less representative patient population and poor drug properties.

Clinical development and partnerships

• ORIC-944 is being tested in combination with apalutamide and darolutamide, supported by supply agreements with Bayer and Janssen, providing strategic input and free drug for trials.

• Combination studies for ORIC-944 began in Q2 2024, with more guidance on data timing expected in early 2025.