Immuneering Corporation ($IMRX)
Earnings Call Transcript · June 1, 2026
Highlights from the call
Immuneering Corporation reported positive results for Q2 FY2026, highlighting significant progress in their Phase IIa study of atebimetinib for first-line pancreatic cancer. The company reported a median overall survival of 17.3 months, surpassing the standard of care benchmark of 8.5 months. No revenue or earnings figures were discussed, as the focus was on clinical trial data. Management provided guidance on the ongoing Phase III MAPKeeper 301 study, which is now recruiting, and outlined future milestones, including a Phase II lung cancer study expected in late 2027.
Main topics
- Phase IIa Study Results: The Phase IIa study of atebimetinib showed a median overall survival of 17.3 months in first-line pancreatic cancer patients, with favorable tolerability. 'Only 2 categories of treatment-related adverse events at the grade 3 or higher level in more than 10% of participants, both chemotherapy related.'
- Comparison to Standard of Care: The study's median overall survival of 17.3 months is well above the 8.5 months benchmark from the pivotal study of standard-of-care gemcitabine nab-paclitaxel. 'The curves stay well separated all the way out to our median overall survival of 17.3 months and beyond.'
- Expanded Cohort Consistency: The expanded cohort of 55 patients maintained a median overall survival of 17.3 months, consistent with the original 34-patient cohort. 'The fact that overall survival is essentially the same as we increase the cohort by 21 patients further adds to the strength of the data.'
- Tolerability and Weight Stability: 84% of patients were weight stable or gained weight, which is significant given the association between weight loss and increased mortality in pancreatic cancer. 'This preservation of body mass may contribute to survival.'
- Phase III Study Recruitment: The MAPKeeper 301 Phase III study is now recruiting, with no genetic testing required for enrollment. 'MAPKeeper 301 is a global pivotal study with overall survival as the primary endpoint.'
Key metrics mentioned
- Median Overall Survival: 17.3 months (vs 8.5 months benchmark from standard of care)
- Disease Control Rate: 82% (vs 48% benchmark for standard of care)
- Progression-Free Survival: 8.3 months (vs 5.5 months for standard of care)
- Overall Response Rate: 36% (vs 23% for standard of care)
Immuneering's positive Phase IIa results for atebimetinib in first-line pancreatic cancer strengthen the investment thesis, highlighting a significant survival benefit and favorable tolerability. The ongoing Phase III study and upcoming lung cancer trials are key catalysts. Investors should monitor recruitment progress and competitive developments in pancreatic cancer treatments.
Earnings Call Speaker Segments
Operator
OperatorWelcome to the Immuneering Conference Call to discuss the company's positive atebimetinib ASCO data update in first-line pancreatic cancer patients. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this call is being recorded today, Monday, June 1, 2026. I would now like to turn the conference call over to Courtney Dugan, Vice President, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.
Courtney Dugan
ExecutivesThank you, operator. Joining us on the call today from Immuneering, our Co-Founder and CEO, Benjamin Zeskind; Chief Scientific Officer, Brett Hall; Chief Medical Officer, Igor Matushansky; and Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer, Nalori Morales. During this call, management will make forward-looking statements, including statements related to its clinical trials of the cabinetinib as well as the timing of additional data from the trials and the company's development plans. Our actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause these results to be different from these statements include risk factors that the company describes in its securities filings, including its annual report from Form 10-K and quarterly reports from Form 10-Q. Immuneering undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, or future events or changes in its expectations. With that, I will turn the call over to Benjamin Zeskind, CEO of Immuneering. Ben?
Benjamin Zeskind
ExecutivesThank you, Courtney. Today, I will present the latest results in our efforts to engineer longer survival with fewer trade-offs for cancer patients. And I think you will see that we are making steady progress towards achieving that goal. Today, we are presenting compelling survival and tolerability data in first-line pancreatic cancer patients. Before reviewing the data, I want to acknowledge that this is an open-label, nonrandomized study. Early Phase II studies in oncology typically do not have a control arm and ours was no exception. As a result, the data require careful interpretation, and we have been deliberate about characterizing our results in the context of established benchmarks. Phase 3 is the appropriate setting for definitive evaluation in a randomized clinical trial, which is why we are so excited that our MAPKeeper 301 study is now recruiting. Please turn to Slide 3. Here, you see data from our Phase IIa study of atebimetinib at 320 milligrams once daily in combination with modified gemcitabine-nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy in our original cohort of 34 patients with first-line pancreatic cancer. We see a median overall survival of 17.3 months, 17.3 months. And the tolerability that comes with that is notably favorable with only 2 categories of treatment-related adverse events at the grade 3 or higher level in more than 10% of participants, both of which were chemotherapy related. I'd like to point out the patient numbers at the bottom of the chart, which essentially tells you how many patients have been a live and on study for at least that long. At 13 months, we still have 16 patients at risk, which is 47% and speaks to the maturity of the survival data we are reporting today. We are now bringing the combination of a atebimetinib plus modified gemcitabine nappaclitaxel to a larger number of first-line patients in our Phase III study, the MAPKeeper 301 study, which is now recruiting. We are confident in the design of MAPKeeper 301 and believe the Phase IIa data we are sharing today to strongly support the evaluation of this combination in Phase III. So let's put these results into context. Please turn to Slide 4. Here, we are plotting our overall survival data together with the data from the pivotal study of standard-of-care gemcitabine nab-paclitaxel, the MPACT study. We see very steady separation from the standard of care benchmark. What is particularly notable is how the separation is sustained over time. Median overall survival results can be fragile when the curves are intertwined and the separation is limited to a brief period of time. the opposite is true here. When you look at any time point, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, the curves stay well separated all the way out to our median overall survival of 17.3 months and beyond. Moreover, we have shared data using 4 different data cutoff dates over the course of the past year and the separation between our overall survival and the standard of care benchmark has held well across all 4 cutoffs, which adds to the reproducibility of the observations. Overall, we believe these are compelling survival and tolerability data in first-line pancreatic cancer, and they provide strong rationale for the MAPKeeper 301 study, which is now recruiting. Please turn to Slide 5. Now our original goal for this study was 30 patients, and we enrolled 34 in the original cohort and thought we were done. However, the demand from our sites was so high that we decided to accept more patients into the study and ended up taking another 21 patients broadening the study to an expanded cohort of 55 patients. Here, you are seeing the survival of the original 34 patient cohort in purple and the expanded 55-patient cohort in blue. The curves are very similar, and the median overall survival is 17.3 months in the expanded 55-patient cohort as well. The fact that overall survival is essentially the same as we increase the cohort by 21 patients further adds to the strength of the data. This is important. In addition, the tolerability also remains steady as we expand the cohort from 34 to 55. We see only 2 categories of treatment-related adverse events at the Grade 3 level in more than 10% of patients, both chemotherapy related. The fact that we added an additional 21 patients without substantially changing the shape of the overall survival curve or the median overall survival or the categories of common grades for your higher treatment-related as events all speaks to the strength of the data, and we believe provides strong rationale for evaluating this combination in our Phase III study. Now gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel is the most relevant comparator because it is the one we are combining with is the control arm in our Phase III study is the most common global standard of care and it is the one typically given to older patients like the ones in our study. However, there are 2 other standard of care options available in first-line pancreatic cancer, FOLFIRINOX and [indiscernible]. These regimens are typically given to younger, higher fitness patients because they are less tolerable but with modestly better median overall survival, typically around 11 months. In a sense, they define the range of typical outcomes in first-line pancreatic cancer. So another way to assess the strength of our results is to compare them to all 3 standard of care treatments for first-line pancreatic cancer. Please turn to Slide 6. Here, you can see that the overall survival in our 55-patient expanded cohort is well separated not only from the pivotal MPACT study data for gemcitabine nab-paclitaxel in orange, but also from the data from the pivotal [indiscernible] study of FOLFIRINOX in green and the pivotal NAPOLI-3 study of Nalirafoxin red. Not only is our 17.3 month median overall survival well above those benchmarks, which each land around 11.1 months, but the curve show a steady separation across many months of treatment, not just at the median. We have included one more survival plot on this chart in brown. It is the on at all study of the modified schedule for gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel that we are combining with the reduced schedule of every other week as opposed to 3 weeks on, 1 week off. You can see that while it differs a bit from the orange gemcitabine nab-paclitaxel curve right around the median the curves are generally quite intertwined. It is highly encouraging that our median overall survival and our overall survival plot more generally are both substantially higher than any of these other first-line studies. Please turn to Slide 7. In oncology, even modest increases in survival frequently require patients to make serious trade-offs and accept a heavier toxicity burden. That does not appear to be the case here. Only 2 categories of treatment-related adverse events were observed at the grade 3-year higher level in at least 10% of the patients, and both were chemotherapy related. Importantly, of the 55 patients in our expanded cohort who had weight data at baseline in 3 months, 84% were weight stable or gained weight. This number has remained steady since we've first reported it at an earlier time point and for the initial 34 patient cohort in January, which speaks to the strength of the effect. We believe this preservation of body mass may contribute to survival. Of note, prior literature has shown an increased risk of death when pancreatic cancer patients lose weight, hazard ratio of 1.55 in [indiscernible] 2025. Turning our attention from safety back to other end points, we have appropriately focused on overall survival because it is the gold standard in oncology and is the thing that patients care most about, and it is the sole primary endpoint in our Phase III study. However, it is also important to look at the other endpoints because they help speak to the strength of the overall survival results. So please turn to Slide 8. Not only is our overall survival well separated from standard of care, but our additional endpoints are also differentiated from the benchmarks for standard of care from the MPACT study with a median PFS of 8.3 months, versus 5.5 for the standard of care, a confirmed overall response rate of 36% versus 23% for the standard of care and a disease control rate of 82%, well separated from the 48% benchmark for the standard of care. The fact that these additional endpoints also show good separation adds further support to our overall survival observations. We are particularly encouraged by the disease control rate, which suggests most patients are deriving some benefit from atebimetinib plus modified gemcitabine nab paclitaxel. Please turn to Slide 9. Our waterfall plot shows the depth of response across the evaluable patients. The vast majority of patients in the disease control group are experiencing actual tumor regressions, not just tumors held below the 20% progression threshold. The number of scans as indicated above each bar and many patients with stable disease are showing lesion shrinkage over multiple scans. Another key takeaway from the waterfall plot is that confirmed responses were seen across patients harboring a range of RAS mutations as well as those without known RAS mutation, an outcome that aligns with our preclinical findings. This mutation agnostic response pattern informed our decision not to mandate genetic testing for enrollment in this study or in our Phase III trial, reducing barriers and streamlining access for patients seeking to participate. Let's go back to those patients with shrinking lesions and stable disease. It is somewhat unusual to have so many patients in this category and we believe this is consistent with atebimetinib's mechanism, which is designed to shrink tumors in a slow and steady way as opposed to a fast and temporary way. Spider plots are one way to help understand this better. So please turn to Slide 10. The spider plots demonstrate that the majority of patients experienced prolonged deepening reductions in the size of their tumors. These data suggest that atebimetinib's strength may derive in part from its durability. Please turn to Slide 11. Now when comparing Phase II results to Phase III benchmarks, it is important to carefully assess the baseline demographics for differences that could contribute to differing outcomes. That does not appear to be the case here. 55 patients were enrolled at 14 sites across the United States with the following baseline demographics, which are generally consistent with the population in the MPACT benchmark study. Two baseline characteristics are particularly worth noting. Our patients were older, a median age of 68 versus 62 for the MPACT study. In terms of lung mets, which are associated with longer overall survival in the literature, we had a lower percentage than MPACT, 27% versus 35% in MPACT. Another notable difference is that a higher percentage of our patients were able to go on to second-line treatment, 60% in our study versus 40% in the benchmark study for standard of care. This is important because published data show that when pancreatic cancer patients cannot go on to second-line treatment, the risk of death is significantly increased as a ratio of 1.51 in [indiscernible] 2024. We hypothesized that the weight preservation and tolerability of a atebimetinib are the key drivers of the second-line treatment rate of 60%, although the impact of these drivers cannot be definitively separated from other factors. Please turn to Slide 12. As I mentioned, MAPKeeper 301, our Phase III study is now recruiting. So the data we are sharing at ASCO really could not have come at a better time for patients and physicians. MAPKeeper 301 is a global pivotal study with overall survival as the primary endpoint with a atebimetinib plus modified gemcitabine nab-paclitaxel randomized against a standard of care gemcitabine nab paclitaxel controller. One of the things that stands out about this trial is that no genetic testing is required prior to enrolling. Please turn to Slide 13. Now having delivered these important results in first-line pancreatic cancer, I want to highlight a number of further upcoming catalysts in both pancreatic cancer and beyond, some of which are potential milestones that we are announcing for the first time today. Beyond the Phase III readout, our lung cancer combination program represents an important opportunity to demonstrate atebimetinib's potential in a second indication. The Phase II data expected in late 2027 is designed to provide an independent test of the deep cyclic inhibitor technology in a different disease setting and patient population. Let's walk through the milestones. First, we plan to dose the first patient in our MAPKeeper 301 Phase III study in mid-2026. Next, we plan to dose the first patient in our lung cancer Phase II trial of atebimetinib in combination with anti-PD-1 in the second half of the year. In the fourth quarter, we plan to share preclinical data on atebimetinib plus an anti-PD-1 in a lung cancer model. Then in 2027, we plan to begin IND-enabling studies on our next deep cycle inhibitor drug program as well as announcing Phase II clinical data from our lung cancer combination with an anti-PD-1 later that year. Then in 2028, we plan to announce the top line readout from our Phase III MAPKeeper 301 study. And to remind you, we have cash runway into 2029. Please turn to Slide 14. We are focused on engineering for longer survival with fewer trade-offs. Conventional wisdom in oncology has been to use chronic inhibitors, which suppress the pathway 24/7 in all the cells and often lead to toxicity and resistance. Our technology is called deep thick like inhibitors. These are compounds designed with a pulsatile inhibition greater than IC90 with once-daily oral dosing and this has 2 key design benefits. They may generate greater tolerability because they provide a recovery window for healthy cells, and at the same time, they may have greater durability of effect on tumor cells because they work to limit adaptive and acquired resistance. This is achieved through a variety of characteristics in our chemistry, including a high free fraction C-max a fast off-rate and a short at life of 2 hours. The exciting possibility here is that the next generation of therapies targeting this pathway built on the deep cyclic inhibitor approach may deliver longer survival with fewer trade-offs. The data we have shared today demonstrate the potential of this technology to deliver survival and tolerability. Please turn to Slide 15. So we apply this technology first to MEK, and we developed a drug called tavumetinib, which is demonstrating new potential for MEK as a target. Now as you likely know, conventional MEK inhibitors have been ineffective in RAS mutant cancers. They've been poorly tolerated, and yet they have been shown improved survival in RAS mutant cancers and to counteract cachexia and preserve body mass. What we've been able to do is design a new MEK inhibitor with a novel composition matter that blocks RAF mediated phosphorylation of MEK to enable it to work in RAS mutant disease. Then with our deep cyclic inhibitor technology, we're able to improve the tolerability and retain the counteraction of cachexia. So what this does is provide a very new profile compared to prior MEK inhibitors and MEK sits at a strategic point in the pathway at the narrow part of the funnel. There's a reason why you very rarely see MEK mutant cancers. It's hard to mutate around. At AACR a few weeks ago, in abstract 1873, we showed that acquired alterations in MAPkinase pathway genes are very rare in patients treated with atebimetinib. We rarely see the kinds of acquired alterations like KRAS amplifications and BRAF mutations that are commonly seen when inhibiting the pathway upstream. This also means that you do not have to do genetic testing. And in fact, we did not require genetic testing to enroll in our Phase II, and we do not require it to enroll in our Phase III. The result is a atebimetinib from which our U.S. composition of matter patent was granted last summer. Our Chief Scientific Officer is the lead inventor and our goals in developing atebimetinib were really durability and tolerability. And I think you've seen that this new technology and this modern approach to an old target is delivering important results for patients with first-line pancreatic cancer. Please turn to Slide 16. Let me conclude with a high-level overview of Immuneering and why we believe the company is uniquely positioned in oncology. At the core of our story is atebimetinib, which we believe represents a fundamentally different approach to targeting the MAP kinase pathway. Traditional MEK inhibitors have often been limited by the trade-off between efficacy and tolerability. Our deep cyclic inhibitor technology was specifically designed to address that challenge by delivering potent pathway suppression while allowing recovery periods that may help reduce toxicity and delay resistance mechanisms. That technology is initially focused on MEK, one of the most important signaling nodes in cancer biology. Because MEK sits downstream of both RASK and RAF, it acts as a key convergence point for multiple oncogenic drivers. We believe that makes it an attractive target across a broad range of tumors, providing an ability to inhibit the pathway in a way that patients can tolerate over time. What makes us particularly excited is the clinical data we've generated to date. In first-line pancreatic cancer, atebimetinib has demonstrated compelling survival outcomes along with a distinctly favorable tolerability profile. We believe these results support our central thesis that deeper cyclic pathway inhibition can translate into meaningful clinical benefit without the burden of excessive toxicity. We showed overall survival of 17.3 months. For reference, the benchmark from the pivotal study of standard of care gemcitabine nab-paclitaxel is 8.5 months. 84% of our patients have been stable or gain weight, and we have only 2 categories of Grade 3 or higher tumulted adverse events observed in more than 10% of patients. These data are from a Phase IIa single arm study and provides strong rationale for evaluating the combination in Phase III. MAPKeeper 301, the definitive Phase III trial is now recruiting in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer. Beyond pancreatic cancer, we are advancing a Phase II combination study in non-small cell lung cancer, along with a preclinical pipeline built on our deep cyclic inhibitor technology. From a financial perspective, we ended the first quarter with approximately $199 million in cash, which we expect will fund operations into 2029. We also have a strong intellectual property position with patent protection on atebimetinib expected into late 2045. The compelling survival and tolerability data we have presented today are important for patients with first-line pancreatic cancer and demonstrate meaningful progress in our efforts to engineer longer survival with fewer trade-offs. Now onward to Phase III, and with that, we're happy to take questions. Operator?
Operator
Operator[Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from the line of Douglas from Mizuho.
Unknown Analyst
AnalystsCongrats on the positive data. We love to see these continual good updates I have a 2-parter. The first is curious about the single patient discontinuation who stayed on GNP, was that a unique signal for atebi? And then the second part is competitive landscape-wise, [ Rev Med ] is making quite a splash ASCO. People seem to be very excited even though that's a second-line treatment, I'm curious if because like the paradigm shifting maybe now with the introduction of their drug. If you think that could influence or impact the enrollment in the Phase III study for the control arm? For GMP now that there's like perhaps a better option for standard of care.
Benjamin Zeskind
ExecutivesDoug, thanks for the question. And you're right, it's a really an exciting data set. Maybe I can answer them in the reverse order of how you ask them. And I think your second question really went to atebimetinib's differentiation. And I think the overall survival data that we're sharing today, 17.3 months median overall survival in the first-line setting is really very encouraging. And the first-line setting is a different setting than second-line in pancreatic cancer. It's a different group of patients with different characteristics and different needs. And I think particularly in the first-line setting to see 17.3 months meeting overall survival is very encouraging. And then if you layer on to that the tolerability that we've shown with only 2 categories of cumulated adverse events at the Grade 3 or higher level in more than 10% of patients, I mean that's truly differentiated in terms of targeting this pathway. So we're really encouraged by the tolerability as well. And then ultimately, the fact that no genetic testing is required in the study. So that's -- I think what really differentiates the atebimetinib and makes it unique is the kind of overall survival that we're showing, 17.3 months median, the tolerability and the fact that we can treat a broad range of tumors and don't require testing. So that's really for your second question. And then for the first question, I think it's really hard to draw too many conclusions from any one single patient experience. So I think there's not really a whole lot you can extrapolate from an N-of-1.
Unknown Analyst
AnalystsReally appreciate it, and congrats again.
Operator
OperatorYour next question comes from the line of Jay Olson from Oppenheimer.
Jay Olson
AnalystsCongrats on these results, and thanks for providing this update. You spoke about the patient's ability to not only survive but thrive with 84% of participants wait stable or gaining weight. How much does that contribute to the patients on atebi's ability to received second-line treatment at a rate of 60%.
Benjamin Zeskind
ExecutivesThanks for the question. And look, we believe that the fact that 84% of our patients are we stable or gaining weight is really important. In pancreatic cancer, muscle wasting is a real challenge for these patients. It's called cachexia. And it causes patients to lose weight and actually increases their risk of death substantially. So the ability to counteract this, we believe, is one of the mechanisms contributing to survival. Together with the tolerability that we have with only 2 categories at [indiscernible] adverse events with the Grade 3 level and more than 10% of patients. And certainly, with the the ability to have these long, slow, steady reductions in the tumors. And so we think all of these factors contribute ultimately to what you're pointing out, which is 60% of our patients were able to go on to second-line therapy versus 40% in the MPACT study. So certainly, our hypothesis is that all these factors are the likely the key contributors. But to definitively answer that question and really tease apart all the factors, I think we'll have to do that in Phase III.
Jay Olson
AnalystsOkay. Great. And if I could please ask 1 follow-up about the 17.3 median OS.
Benjamin Zeskind
ExecutivesOf course.
Jay Olson
AnalystsSo some investors have asked about how that correlates with ORR and PFS since in the case of ateb, it seems like you're your median OS seems to outshine ORR and PFS. So maybe if you could comment on that, please.
Benjamin Zeskind
ExecutivesYes. So 17.3 months median overall survival is certainly very compelling. I think that overall survival is what matters most to patients, right? Patients care most how long they live. It's also what matters most from a regulatory perspective. Overall survival is the gold standard. It's the primary end point in our clinical trial, our Phase III clinical trial. So the number -- the 17.3 months median overall survival is on the metric that matters most. And the additional end points are really ways to kind of assess the consistency of the -- what's ultimately the gold standard, which is overall survival. And we're actually really encouraged by our PFS, our ORR and our DCR because they all show consistent separation from the standard of care benchmarks. So I think each of these factors together points to a picture of data that's very differentiated from the standard of care benchmarks. And look, atebimetinib shrinks tumors differently, right, as you see in the spider plot, it's often a long, slow, steady reduction. And so I think that that difference in mechanism can kind of affect some of those additional endpoints differently than others. But at the end of the day, we're showing good separation on all of them. the gold standard is overall survival. It's the thing that matters most to patients, and that's why we're thrilled to have a 17.3 months median overall survival here.
Jay Olson
AnalystsGreat. Super helpful. Congrats again.
Operator
OperatorYour next question comes from the line of Allison Bratzel with Piper Sandler.
Allison Bratzel
AnalystsCould you maybe just talk to how the baseline characteristics of the first 34 patients enrolled compared to the subsequent 21 patients enrolled just sort of getting at the question of how do you expect that median OS number to evolve with longer follow-up?
Benjamin Zeskind
ExecutivesAllison, thanks for the question. And you're right. Certainly, the fact that in your initial 34 patients, we see 17.3 months median overall survival with a really nice 17-month median follow-up time. I think that's really exciting, and it's great that those data are mature. And I think as you add in another 21 patients to see the median OS remain consistent at 17.3 months is really encouraging. And I think you can certainly look at the baseline demographics that we have in the 55 and compare it against the 34 that we had previously reported on. And it's really a very similar population. There aren't major differences. So certainly, from a baseline characteristic perspective, I think these populations are quite similar. And it's not just that the median overall survival is essentially the same in the 34 and the 55. It's the shape of the curves, right? I mean if you look at the 2 curves overlaid on each other, they're really trending very, very consistently. And I think that that speaks to the strength of the signal and the consistency of it.
Operator
OperatorYour next question comes from the line of Andrew Berens with Leerink Partners.
Andrew Berens
AnalystsCongrats on the progress, Ben. A couple from me. Are we going to get additional updates for this cohort of 55 patients. And then I know you're focused on the ongoing Phase III program. But do you have any plans to test additional combination partners and maybe develop a chemo-free regimen for atebi. And then the last one, I think just to follow up on an earlier question. Just given the enthusiasm for directors amongst clinicians and patients, do you think that there's going to be an impact to your Phase III program?
Benjamin Zeskind
ExecutivesThanks for the questions, Andy. In terms of additional updates, I don't have any guidance for you at this time. We're really excited to be sharing these data at ASCO here today, and we think it's a very exciting and comprehensive data set. In terms of additional combination partners, I think this is a really important point, right? The differentiated tolerability profile that we see with the atebimetinib, right, to only have 2 categories of time adverse events at the grade 3 are a higher level in more than 10% of patients, even when combining with chemotherapy. And by the way, the 2 that we have are from the chemotherapy. They're not from a atebimetinib. So to have that kind of a tolerability profile really is a huge opportunity to explore a wide variety of different combinations. And so as we discussed, we're going to be dosing the first patient in our combination study with an anti-PD-1 in lung cancer in the second half of this year. But we've shown preclinical data from a wide variety of combinations, combinations with mutation-specific RAS inhibitors, combinations with BRAF inhibitors and quite a few others. So we're actively exploring a wide variety of combinations beyond the ones we talked about today. And so we're continuing to explore that. And I think that is a real unique aspect of atebimetinib. And then regarding your last question, look, it's an exciting time for pancreatic cancer patients, right? There's a lot of options that are coming to patients who really need more options. And I would just note that the first-line setting in pancreatic cancer is very different from the second line. And it's great that there are sort of multiple companies attacking from different directions, right? So there's a lot of excitement about data in second line, so there's kind of treatments attacking from that direction. I think our data today was 17.3 months meeting overall survival in first line. We're kind of attacking from the other direction. And we kind of have pancreatic cancer surrounded. So I think it's great news for patients. It's great that there's going to be options. And look, certainly, in the first-line setting, we're in Phase III, right? Our Phase III is recruiting. And there's really not that many Phase III studies recruiting right now in first-line pancreatic cancer. It's probably in the single digits or thereabouts. So I think we're kind of in verified in terms of being in Phase III in first-line pancreatic cancer. And what differentiates atebimetinib is really the tolerability, right? I mean to only have 2 categories of treatment late adverse events at the Grade 3 level and more than 10% of patients, I think, is quite differentiating together with the kind of survival that we're seeing 17.3 months. So I think the exciting possibility for this kind of next generation of pancreatic cancer therapies and particularly in the first-line setting, the exciting possibility, Andy, is that patients can have fewer trade-offs, right? We believe atebimetinib plus gem/nab can really make it possible for patients to have survival with fewer trade-offs. And I think it's exciting that there's options and we believe it's exciting that there'll be an option that has really differentiated tolerability and also doesn't require genetic testing, right? I mean the fact that our Phase II and our Phase III didn't require any genetic testing. That's really quite differentiating as well. So it's great news for pancreatic cancer patients that there's options. It's great that we're attacking from first line, others are attacking for second line. And it's really not an either/or. It's a both hand, right? I mean it's the sequence of treatment, right? Patients can get atebimetinib plus gem in the first line followed by another treatment in the second line. And in fact, the fact that we deliver 60% of patients able to go onto the second line, I think ultimately will make -- will be a sequencing advantage that will be really impactful for these patients. So we're really excited about the future for pancreatic cancer patients and the unique role that we believe atebimetinib will play in that, particularly in the first-line setting.
Operator
OperatorYour next question comes from the line of [ Lee Wasit ] with Cantor.
Unknown Analyst
AnalystsThis is [indiscernible] on behalf of Lee. Congrats on the new data. So 1 question on your baseline patient corporation. Do you have any guidance or ideas on how your Phase III baseline is going to look? Do we expect it to be similar to the Phase II design?
Benjamin Zeskind
ExecutivesYes. Thanks for the question. And you're right. With a median overall survival as exciting as 17.3 months. It's important to when the benchmark from the standard of care is 8.5 months from the MPACT study, it's important to look at the baseline characteristics. And in a randomized study, you would expect that the baseline characteristics would be kind of well matched. And so the areas where in some ways, we had a more challenging population, right, our median age being 68 versus 62 in the MPACT study. I think with that balanced out, I think we're optimistic about the potential impact of that. Similarly with regard to lung mets, right? We had fewer patients with lung mets that are continue considering the literature to have longer overall survival. So I think having having that balanced with our control arm, we're also optimistic about the potential impact of that. So we look forward to the MAPKeeper 301, right? It's now recruiting. That will be the definitive test. But certainly, our take on the baseline demographics makes us really optimistic that the separation we see from standard of care is well worth exploring in the Phase II.
Operator
OperatorWe have no further questions at this time. I will now turn the call back over to Benjamin Zeskind for closing remarks.
Benjamin Zeskind
Executives5 Thank you. I want to thank everyone for joining our call today. And we would also like to thank all the patients and investigators involved in our ongoing studies, and we look forward to updating you on our further progress. Thank you, everyone.
Operator
OperatorLadies and gentlemen, that concludes today's call. Thank you all for joining. You may now disconnect.
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