S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) healthcare share Immutep Ltd (ASX: IMM) is joining the broader market sell-down today.
Shares in the clinical-stage biotech company closed yesterday trading for 38 cents. In morning trade on Friday, shares are changing hands for 37.25 cents apiece, down 2%.
For some context, the ASX 300 is down 1.5% at this same time.
With today's slide factored in, Immutep shares are up 12.9% over the past year and up 43.3% since 8 December.
Shares got a big lift on 9 December after the company revealed that it had entered into a strategic collaboration and exclusive licensing agreement with Indian-based global pharmaceutical company, Dr. Reddy's.
Here's what's catching ASX investor attention today.
ASX 300 healthcare share hits trial milestone
This morning, Immutep announced that it had achieved a key milestone in its TACTI-004 Phase III trial.
That trial is evaluating its eftilagimod alfa (efti) product in combination with MSD's anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), and chemotherapy as first-line therapy for advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
As for that milestone, the ASX 300 healthcare share said it has now achieved 50% of the patient enrolment target for the cancer trial, with 378 patients now taking part globally.
Looking ahead, Immutep said it expects to complete futility analysis in the first quarter of calendar year 2026.
It expects patient enrolment to complete in the third quarter, with enrolment reported to be continuing at a "robust pace". The company noted that more than 140 clinical sites are now activated across 27 countries.
What did management say?
Commenting on the enrolment achievement for the ASX 300 healthcare shares, Immutep CEO Marc Voigt said:
The excellent pace of enrolment globally in the TACTI-004 trial speaks to the promise of efti and the need for more efficacious therapies in the first line setting for patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
Our team continues to work hard to bring this innovative cancer immunotherapy to market and looks forward to delivering on additional important upcoming milestones ahead, including the futility analysis in the first quarter and completing patient enrolment in the third quarter this year.
Voigt said that the combination of efti with KEYTRUDA and chemotherapy has the potential to establish a new standard of care in patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, which is one of the largest and deadliest indications in oncology.
Immutep is aiming to expand the number of patients who respond to anti-PD-1 therapy, across all PD-L1 expression levels, along with enhancing clinical outcomes and extending patients' survival.
