SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Calithera Biosciences, Inc.  (Nasdaq: CALA), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases, today announced that preliminary safety and efficacy data from an investigator-sponsored trial evaluating telaglenastat (CB-839) in combination with azacitidine will be presented in an oral session at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting 2019 taking place December 7-10, in Orlando, Florida.

“Telaglenastat is being evaluated in multiple tumor types through investigator-sponsored trials, and we are excited to see progress as data from these trials are beginning to be presented at prestigious conferences such as ASH,” said Susan Molineaux, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Calithera. “We are grateful to the patients and clinicians who are participating in all trials evaluating glutaminase inhibition as a novel approach to the treatment of cancer, and we continue to observe through these trials the potential of telaglenastat in a wide range of cancer indications.”

Presentation details:

Date: Monday, December 9 at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time

Title: Interim Analysis of Phase 2 Study of Telaglenastat in combination with Azacitidine in Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Presenter: Veronica A Guerra, M.D, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Session: 637. Myelodysplastic Syndromes—Clinical Studies: Combination Therapies

Location: W311EFGH, Level 3 (Orange County Convention Center)

Telaglenastat is an investigational first-in-class glutaminase inhibitor specifically designed to block glutamine consumption in tumor cells.

Additional meeting information and accepted abstracts can be found at the ASH website www.hematology.org.

About The Study

This investigator-sponsored trial is a single arm Phase 1b/2 trial of telaglenastat in combination with azacitidine for intermediate and high-risk MDS. Eligible patients included adults at least 18 years with high-risk MDS (IPSS intermediate-2 or high risk) or intermediate-1 risk with high-risk genomic features including TP53, ASXL1, EZH2, or RUNX1 mutations. The primary outcome was to confirm the safety and recommended dose of telaglenastat in combination with azacitidine. Secondary endpoints evaluate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of telaglenastat in combination with azacitidine, clinical activity of the combination by IWG response criteria, as well as overall survival and event free survival.

About Calithera

Calithera Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of targeted therapies that disrupt cellular metabolic pathways to preferentially block tumor cells and enhance immune-cell activity. Driven by a commitment to rigorous science and a passion for improving the lives of people impacted by cancer and other life-threatening diseases, Calithera is advancing a pipeline of first-in-clinic, oral therapeutics to meaningfully expand treatment options available to patients. Calithera is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. For more information about Calithera, please visit www.calithera.com.