- Objective response rate of 20% and median duration of response not reached with 14.6 month median follow-up in PD-L1+ tumors
- Responses seen across all histology subgroups including populations of patients unresponsive to other therapies
“Publication of these data marks another significant achievement toward our objective to provide effective therapeutic options to those battling cancer,” said Steven O’Day, MD, Chief Medical Officer of
In the 140 evaluable patients, the objective response rate (ORR) in patients with PD-L1 positive tumors was 20.0% and included 3 patients (3/85, 3.5%) with a complete response and 14 patients (14/85, 16.5%) with a partial response. The median duration of response (DoR) was not reached after a 14.6-month median follow-up. Responses were also observed in the PD-L1 negative population with an ORR of 7.9%. The confirmed ORR for both PD-L1 positive and negative tumors was 15.0% and included 5 patients (3.6%) with a complete response and 16 patients (11.4%) with a partial response. The median DoR was 15.4 months and the disease control rate was ~50%. Notably, responses were observed across histologies, with responses in the squamous cell histology (ORR 17.6%) and in the more difficult to treat adenocarcinoma histology (ORR 12.5%). The safety profile was manageable and consistent with that of currently approved anti-PD-1 antibodies; it also compared favorably to the safety profiles of chemotherapies used in this population. Data from this trial continue to mature.
As discussed in the publication, these data suggest that balstilimab may be a differentiated anti-PD-1 antibody as compared to currently approved PD-1 inhibitors. In the KEYNOTE-158 trial of pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, in the same setting, an ORR of 14.6% was observed in the PD-L1 positive population and no responses were observed in the PD-L1 negative population. In addition, the noted 12.5% response rate of balstilimab in patients with cervical adenocarcinoma is significant as this subpopulation typically does not respond to immunotherapy and represents a growing proportion of advanced cervical cancer cases. Balstilimab thus provides the potential for therapeutic benefit to patient populations that do not typically respond to currently-available immunotherapy, both alone and in combination with other therapies, such as Agenus’ anti-CTLA-4 antibodies zalifrelimab and AGEN1181. Final results from a Phase 2 trial of balstilimab in combination with zalifrelimab in advanced cervical cancer will be presented in a
“The efficacy and safety of balstilimab provides additional evidence of the importance of immune checkpoint blockade in the treatment of recurrent, advanced cervical cancer patients,” said David O’Malley, MD, Professor,
Study Design (NCT03104699)
This was an open-label, single-arm, global Phase 2 clinical trial conducted at 60 sites throughout
About Balstilimab Monotherapy
Balstilimab is a novel, fully human monoclonal immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) designed to block PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) from interacting with its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. PD-1 is a negative regulator of immune activation that is considered a foundational target within the immuno-oncology market.
About
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding potential therapeutic benefit and future clinical development plans for balstilimab, zalifrelimab, and AGEN1181 alone and in combination with other agents. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the factors described under the Risk Factors section of our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the
Contact
Agenus Investor Relations
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Jan.Medina@agenusbio.com
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