Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) shares climbed 9% on Friday after the company released early clinical data indicating its drug combination showed promising activity in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma who had previously been treated with cabozantinib.
The company disclosed findings from a subset of its FIT-001 trial, which is assessing darlifarnib in combination with cabozantinib. Results showed an objective response rate of 44% and a disease control rate of 94% among ccRCC patients previously exposed to cabozantinib, with 75% of patients experiencing tumor shrinkage.
The analysis included 16 patients with ccRCC who had already undergone treatment with cabozantinib. Treatment durations ranged between 8 and 56 weeks, with six patients still receiving therapy at the time of the data cutoff. Responses were observed even in heavily pretreated individuals, including those who had previously achieved only stable disease on cabozantinib.
The data were presented at the International Kidney Cancer Symposium: Europe 2026 in Paris on April 17, 2026. The company said the treatment combination showed a manageable safety profile across different dosing levels.
The ongoing FIT-001 study is testing darlifarnib at once-daily doses of 3 mg, 5 mg, or 8 mg on a 7-days-on, 7-days-off schedule, alongside cabozantinib given daily at 60 mg or 40 mg. All participants must have previously received immunotherapy, and the trial has now progressed into its Phase 1b dose expansion stage.