Onconic reports 40-month long-term survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer patient

Onconic Therapeutics announced at a US medical conference that its Phase 1b trial of nesuparlib confirmed long-term survival of more than 40 months in a patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

The company is conducting a Phase 1b/2 trial of nesuparlib (JPI-547), a dual-target anticancer new drug candidate, in pancreatic cancer. Building on the Phase 1b results, it is running a domestic Phase 2 trial while preparing for a global clinical program.

The Phase 1b results for nesuparlib in metastatic and advanced pancreatic cancer were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting (ASCO 2026), held in Chicago from May 29 through June 2. The trial enrolled 27 patients with metastatic or advanced pancreatic cancer and tested nesuparlib in combination with either gemabraxane or modified FOLFIRINOX, the current standard-of-care regimens.

Among those patients, one who achieved a complete response in target lesions in metastatic pancreatic cancer had survived more than 40 months as of late December 2025. A second patient has also continued to survive for more than 24 months.

As of the data cutoff date, four patients remained on treatment with no disease progression, leaving the median progression-free survival at "not reached." Onconic said the reported overall survival figure of 14.2 months also remains immature, and the company expects the number to increase further as follow-up continues.

Nesuparlib has received orphan drug designation from the US Food and Drug Administration for three cancer types, including pancreatic cancer. The company is currently conducting pharmacokinetic evaluations in a multiethnic patient population as it pursues entry into global markets.

CEO Kim Jon, who delivered the presentation himself, said a patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer — a disease with no prior treatment alternatives — has maintained a complete response in target lesions while surviving more than 40 months. "We confirmed strong results in both KRAS-mutant patients and patients without BRCA mutations," he said. "Given the strong interest we have seen in the ongoing Phase 2 trial, we will expand discussions on global collaboration."