CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 23, 2013-- Verastem, Inc., (NASDAQ: VSTM) focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells, announced that members of the research and development team will present the clinical design for an ongoing study of VS-6063 and preclinical data on the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor VS-5584 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting being held May 31 – June 4, 2013, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. Research on the FAK and PI3K/mTOR signaling pathways has revealed critical roles for each in cancer stem cell survival and disease progression.

The design of the ongoing Phase 1/1b trial of lead Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) inhibitor VS-6063 in combination with paclitaxel in patients with ovarian cancer will be presented. The study is currently enrolling patients at three sites in the US. Howard “Skip” Burris, III, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, TN, is the Principal Investigator.

“The women that are undergoing treatment have received multiple lines of prior chemotherapy,” said Dr. Burris. “There is a growing body of evidence that chemotherapeutics, including platinum- and taxane-based therapies, preferentially select for chemo-resistant cancer stem cells. By combining paclitaxel with the cancer stem cell-targeting FAK inhibitor VS-6063 we hope to address this challenge in the management of ovarian tumors.”

In addition to the ongoing Phase 1/1b trial to be presented, Verastem has multiple clinical trials scheduled for 2013 for its cancer stem cell inhibitors. A trial of VS-6063 in mesothelioma is scheduled to start midyear 2013. Verastem is planning Phase 1 clinical trials of FAK inhibitor VS-4718 in the first half of 2013 and dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor VS-5584 in the second half of 2013 for patients with advanced cancers.

Verastem will also present results in support of the planned clinical development of VS-5584 at ASCO. In the preclinical study, samples obtained from healthy volunteers were incubated with VS-5584 and a candidate panel of biomarkers was developed to help monitor activity of VS-5584 in early clinical development.

The schedule for the Verastem poster presentations is as follows:

Date & Time: Monday, June 3, 2013, from 8:00 to 11:45 a.m. CT
Poster Title: A phase I/IB study of paclitaxel in combination with VS-6063, a focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor, in patients (pts) with advanced ovarian cancer
Abstract Number: TPS2620
Session ID: General Poster Session: Developmental Therapeutics, Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics – Cancer Stem Cell Pathway
Location: S Hall A2

Date & Time: Monday, June 3, 2013, from 1:15 to 5:00 p.m. CT
Poster Title: Exploration of a plucked hair gene signature as a potential pharmacodynamic marker for the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor VS-5584
Abstract Number: 11064
Session ID: General Poster Session: Tumor Biology Track
Location: S Hall A2

About Verastem, Inc.

Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) is discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by the targeted killing of cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are an underlying cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Verastem is developing small molecule inhibitors of signaling pathways that are critical to cancer stem cell survival and proliferation: FAK, PI3K/mTOR and Wnt. For more information, please visit www.verastem.com.

Forward-looking statements:

This press release includes forward-looking statements about the Company’s strategy, future plans and prospects, including statements regarding the development of the Company’s compounds, including VS-6063, VS-4718 and VS-5584, and the Company’s FAK, PI3K/mTOR and diagnostic programs generally, the timeline for clinical development and regulatory approval of the Company’s compounds and the structure of the Company’s planned clinical trials. The words “anticipate,” “appear,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Each forward-looking statement is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statement. Applicable risks and uncertainties include the risks that the preclinical testing of the Company’s compounds may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, that the Company will be unable to successfully complete the clinical development of its compounds, including VS-6063, VS-4718 and VS-5584, that the development of the Company’s compounds will take longer or cost more than planned, and that the Company’s compounds will not receive regulatory approval or become commercially successful products. Other risks and uncertainties include those identified under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and in any subsequent SEC filings. The forward-looking statements contained in this presentation reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events, and the Company does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Source: Verastem, Inc.

Verastem, Inc.
Brian Sullivan, 617-252-9314
bsullivan@verastem.com