Corbus Advances Two Very Different Programs in Cancer and Obesity

With an oncology program entering a registrational study and positive data from an oral obesity candidate, Corbus heads into the fourth quarter with two clinical programs at inflection points.

Corbus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CRBP) delivered progress in September from two programs aimed at very different markets.

CRB-701 Enters a Registrational Study in Oropharyngeal Cancer

The company dosed the first patient in TEMPO-1, a 250-patient registrational study of CRB-701 in second-line and later oropharyngeal cancer. CRB-701 is a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate targeting Nectin-4, a protein highly expressed in several tumor types.

The study follows Phase 1/2 results presented at ASCO showing a 42.9% confirmed objective response rate in patients treated at the 3.6 mg/kg dose, with a median duration of response of 6.3 months. The primary endpoint of TEMPO-1 is objective response rate, which Corbus intends to use to support a potential accelerated approval.

CRB-913 Takes a Non-Incretin Route in Oral Obesity

Corbus is also pursuing a considerably larger market with CRB-913, its once-daily oral obesity candidate.

In September, the company reported positive Phase 1b results showing 5% mean weight loss after 12 weeks at the highest dose, with no plateau observed. Unlike GLP-1 drugs, CRB-913 targets the CB1 receptor and is intended to act primarily outside the brain.

All participants who completed the study at the 60 mg dose lost weight, and 44.4% lost at least 5% of their baseline body weight. Corbus plans to present the full results at ObesityWeek in November and expects to begin a Phase 2 monotherapy study in the first half of 2027.

Two Programs, Funded Into 2028

CRB-701 is moving into a registrational study for a defined patient population. CRB-913 is earlier in development but targets the obesity market with a mechanism outside the increasingly crowded incretin class.

Corbus ended June with $117.9 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments, which the company expects to fund operations into 2028.

The two programs share little beyond a balance sheet. One offers a defined registrational path in oncology. The other offers an oral, non-incretin option in a market where most of the competition still runs through GLP-1 biology.