Verastem Oncology

VSTMPhase 3

Verastem Oncology is on a mission to ensure no cancer patient runs out of treatment options by developing novel therapies for RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers, which are implicated in nearly a third of all cancers. The company achieved a significant milestone with the FDA approval of its combination therapy for KRAS-mutant recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer. Its clinical strategy is powered by a robust portfolio of ongoing trials and strategic collaborations, focusing on avutometinib as a backbone therapy in combination with agents like the FAK inhibitor defactinib to block compensatory pathways and drive deeper, more durable responses.

Market Cap

$485.7M

Focus

Small Molecules

VSTM · Stock Price

USD 5.538.75 (-61.27%)

Historical price data

AI Company Overview

Technology Platform

A proprietary oncology platform centered on avutometinib, a first-in-class RAF/MEK clamp that inhibits the RAS/MAPK pathway, designed to be used as a backbone therapy in synergistic combinations with other agents targeting parallel and compensatory pathways.

Pipeline Snapshot

2 drugs in pipeline, 1 in Phase 3

Drug	Indication	Stage	Watch
avutometinib + Defactinib + Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin + Paclitaxel + Letro...	Low Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer	Phase 3
Avutometinib (VS-6766) + Defactinib (VS-6063)	Low Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer	Phase 2

Funding History

Total raised: $211M

PIPE$40MBVF PartnersDec 15, 2018

IPO$81MUndisclosedNov 8, 2012

Series B$55MMPM CapitalJun 15, 2012

Series A$35MLongwood Founders FundOct 15, 2010

Opportunities

Significant growth opportunities exist in expanding the avutometinib backbone into large oncology markets like KRAS-mutant NSCLC, both as a dual therapy with defactinib and in combination with approved KRAS G12C inhibitors.

The platform's flexibility allows for targeting a broad basket of RAS-driven solid tumors (e.g., pancreatic, colorectal), and strategic ex-U.S.

partnerships could provide non-dilutive funding and accelerate global development.

Risk Factors

Key risks include commercial execution challenges in a rare cancer market, clinical trial failures in ongoing pivotal studies, intense competition from larger pharma companies in the RAS pathway space, and potential future dilution from necessary capital raises to fund the expansive clinical pipeline.

Competitive Landscape

Verastem competes in the RAS/MAPK inhibition space against approved MEK inhibitors and numerous next-generation targeted therapies. Its primary differentiation is the unique RAF/MEK clamp mechanism of avutometinib, designed to overcome resistance. In LGSOC, it has a first-mover advantage with an approved therapy. In NSCLC, its strategy is collaborative, aiming to become the preferred combination backbone for existing KRAS G12C inhibitors rather than a direct competitor.

Publications

Pipeline