HUTCHMED (China) Limited announced that data from FRUTIGA, HUTCHMED's Phase III trial of fruquintinib in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of second-line advanced gastric cancer in China, were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Plenary Series Session on February 6, 2024. Fruquintinib is a selective oral inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors ("VEGFR") -1, -2 and -3, which play a pivotal role in blocking tumor angiogenesis. The ASCO Plenary Series was established to feature practice-changing and clinically relevant studies on the latest advances in cancer care.

The FRUTIGA trial was a 1:1 randomized, double-blind, Phase III study conducted at 35 sites in China to evaluate fruquintinib combined with chemotherapy, paclitaxel, compared with paclitaxel monotherapy for second-line treatment of 703 patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. The dual primary endpoints were progression-free survival and overall survival, and the study was declared positive as the PFS endpoint met statistical significance at a pre-defined alpha level.