Hutchmed (HCM) said Sunday it started a phase III of its trial to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of surufatinib, camrelizumab, nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine to treat adults with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in China.

The study examines this combination versus nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in patients who have not previously received systemic anti-tumor therapy.

Hutchmed said it enrolled 62 patients in phase II and plans to enroll about 400 additional patients in phase III, with the primary endpoint of phase III being overall survival.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive form of cancer and represents more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases, according to the company.