New drug ESG401 shows promise in early trial for advanced cancers
NCT ID NCT04892342
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tested an experimental drug called ESG401 in 156 people with advanced solid tumors (including breast, lung, and colorectal cancers) who had no other treatment options. The goal was to check the drug's safety, find the right dose, and see if it could shrink tumors. The trial is now complete, and results will help decide if further testing is warranted.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ESG401 (an experimental drug given by IV infusion)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a new treatment option for several advanced cancers that have stopped responding to standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase trial (Phase I/II) with a small number of participants, so the drug may not prove effective or safe enough for wider use. Side effects are expected and will be closely monitored.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
-
156 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Sep 2021
- Finished
-
Jun 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals able to understand and give written informed consent. * Subjects must have a histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced or metastatic solid tumor(s) for which no effective standard therapy is available or tolerable. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. * Life expectancy ≥12 weeks. * Subject must have adequate organ function * Fertile men and women of childbearing potential must agree to use an effective method of birth control from providing signed consent and for 180 days after last investigational product administration. Women of childbearing potential include pre-menopausal women and women within the first 2 years of the onset of menopause. Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects receiving cancer therapy (chemotherapy or other systemic anti-cancer therapies, immunotherapy, or radiation therapy) within 4 weeks before the first investigational product administration.. * Has not recovered from adverse events (e.g., returned to baseline or grade 0\~1) due to a previously administered agent. Note: Subjects with Grade 2 alopecia or anemia are exceptions to this criterion and may qualify for the study. * Had major surgery within 4 weeks before dosing, or will not have fully recovered from surgery; or has surgery planned during the time the subject is expected to participate in the study or within 4 weeks after the last dose of study drug administration. * Use of any investigational anti-cancer drug within 28 days before the first investigational product administration. * New thromboembolic events, intestinal obstruction, gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation within 6 months * Uncontrolled systemic bacterial, viral or fungal infections * Subjects with symptomatic or untreated CNS metastases, or those requiring ongoing treatment for CNS metastases. * Primary CNS malignancy; Or a second primary tumor other than the confirmed solid tumor within the previous 3 years * Evidence of serious or uncontrolled systemic disease (e.g., unstable or decompensated respiratory disease, liver disease or kidney disease) * Patients with gastrointestinal diseases (such as chronic gastritis, chronic enteritis or gastric ulcers), or with a previous history of severe or chronic diarrhea * History of chronic skin disease and present skin disease (e.g. bullous dermatitis, acnelike rash, skin ulcer, etc.) * Subjects with clinically significant cardiovascular disease as defined by the following: * Baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 50% measured by Echocardiogram (ECHO) or Multi-gated acquisition (MUGA) * Heart failure New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II or above * Uncontrolled hypertension (BP ≥ 150/95 mmHg despite optimal therapy) * Prior or current cardiomyopathy * Atrial fibrillation with heart rate \> 100 bpm * Unstable ischaemic heart disease (myocardial infarction (MI) within 6 months prior to starting treatment, or angina requiring use of nitrates more than once weekly) * QTc interval \>/= 450 msecs for male or \>/= 470 msecs for female (Fridericia's formula: QTc=QT/RR0.33). * Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. * Subjects who are Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and Hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) positive or Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody positive at screening must not be enrolled until further definite testing with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA titres and HCV RNA tests can conclusively rule out presence of active infection (HBV DNA ≥ 1000 cps/mL or 200 IU/mL) requiring antiviral therapy with Hepatitis B and C, respectively * Known immediate or delayed hypersensitivity reaction to irinotecan or other camptocampin derivatives such as topotecan or to have had grade ≥3 gastrointestinal reactions associated with irinotecan, or allergies, or to any investigational drug or excipient ingredient * Concurrent condition that in the investigator's opinion would jeopardize compliance with the protocol. * Unwillingness or inability to follow the procedures outlined in the protocol.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, 100021, China
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The Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China
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Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital
Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, 300060, China
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