Verastem Shares Rise 6% as Investors Position for October 14 KRAS G12D Cancer Data

Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSTM) shares gained about 6.4% to $8.25 on Wednesday, making it one of the top performers in the PRISM Women’s Health Index. The move comes one week before Verastem hosts an investor event on October 14. There it will present the first efficacy data for VS-7375, an oral drug that blocks KRAS G12D, a mutation that drives some of the hardest-to-treat cancers.

Key Points

• On October 14 at 8:00 a.m. ET, Verastem will present initial efficacy data for VS-7375 in pancreatic, lung and colorectal cancers.
• BTIG reiterated its Buy rating and $18 price target on Monday ahead of the readout.
• Last week, new ovarian cancer data supported the potential use of Verastem’s approved treatment in a broader patient group.
• Sales of AVMAPKI FAKZYNJA CO-PACK, Verastem’s approved ovarian cancer treatment, rose 34% from the prior quarter to $25.1 million in Q2.

Verastem (NASDAQ: VSTM) Prepares Its Biggest Pipeline Update

VS-7375 targets KRAS G12D, the most common KRAS mutation in pancreatic cancer. Next week’s update builds on safety data Verastem reported in June. This time, the company will include response rates, which investors have been waiting for. The FDA has already given the drug Fast Track designation in KRAS G12D-mutated pancreatic cancer and in previously treated lung cancer.

According to BTIG, more than 190 patients have enrolled in the Phase 1/2 TARGET-D 101 trial, and many should have at least six months of follow-up. As a result, the firm expects the update to give a real look at tumor response and early signs of how long responses last. In addition, Verastem is already enrolling three registration-directed Phase 2 trials in pancreatic, lung and colorectal cancer.

Verastem licensed VS-7375 from GenFleet Therapeutics and holds rights to it outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Ovarian Cancer Franchise Gains Support

Meanwhile, Verastem’s commercial business continues to grow. At the IGCS 2026 meeting in Montréal last week, the company presented new analyses of avutometinib plus defactinib in recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC). In an external control comparison, patients with a KRAS mutation had a 38.7% response rate on the combination, compared with 0% on conventional care. Their median progression-free survival was 22.1 months versus 6.5 months.

The analyses also suggested a benefit for KRAS wild-type patients, a group outside the drug’s current approval. “These findings support the approved use in KRAS-mutated disease and the potential benefit for a broader KRAS wild-type population,” said Michael Kauffman, Verastem’s President of Development.

Commercial Momentum Strengthens the Balance Sheet

As PMV reported in August, AVMAPKI FAKZYNJA CO-PACK brought in $25.1 million in second-quarter net product revenue, up 34% from the first quarter, and about $74.5 million since launch. Verastem ended June with $136.4 million in cash and investments. It expects that, together with product sales and possible access to more financing, to fund operations into the second half of 2027.

Verastem has also tested its RAS pathway drugs in pancreatic cancer before. In the RAMP 205 trial, avutometinib and defactinib combined with chemotherapy shrank tumors in 83% of patients at the selected dose.

Verastem is a member of the PRISM Women’s Health Index and has a market value of about $725 million.