** Shares of drugmaker Nuvation Bio NUVB.N rise 1.5% to $7.58 premarket

** Co says experimental drug safusidenib met main goal in mid-stage trial for grade 2 IDH1-mutant glioma, a type of brain cancer

** 44% of patients saw tumors shrink or disappear; 88% had no disease progression after two years, co says

** Co plans to expand study into larger trial after FDA agreement on design changes - NUVB

** NUVB's safusidenib is an oral drug targeting tumors with IDH1 mutation, co says

** Up to last close, stock was up ~181% YTD

(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru)

((Sahil.Pandey@thomsonreuters.com))