- Updated clinical data show preliminary anti-tumor activity in patients with recurrent/metastatic microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC), a population historically unresponsive to PD-1/L1 blockade
- 31% disease control rate at 16 weeks (DCR: % of responses and stable disease) suggests patients may benefit from stabilizing effect - 88% of patients had 2 or more prior lines of therapy for recurrent/metastatic disease
- Data form a basis for exploring the combination with standard of care therapies (SoC) in less heavily pretreated patients
Innate Pharma SA (the “Company” - Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 – IPH) today announced updated preliminary clinical data from an ongoing Phase I dose escalation and expansion study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the combination of monalizumab, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting NK and T cell checkpoint receptor NKG2A, with durvalumab in patients with recurrent/metastatic microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC). This trial is being conducted by MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s global biologics research and development arm, through a co-development and commercialization agreement.
In a poster presentation made at the Gastrointestinal (Colorectal) Cancer session on Sunday, June 3 2018, during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the combination of monalizumab and durvalumab showed encouraging anti-tumor activity in this difficult-to-treat patient subset.
“The preliminary data so far suggest that the combination of monalizumab and durvalumab may hold promise in some patients with MSS-CRC, a population historically unresponsive to PD-1/L1 therapy”, said study investigator Neil H. Segal, MD., PhD., medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
Pierre Dodion, Chief Medical Officer at Innate Pharma, added: ”We are encouraged by the preliminary results from the ongoing trial observed in a heavily pretreated MSS-CRC patient population. These data have prompted our partner AstraZeneca/MedImmune to further expand the study with additional patient cohorts to explore the novel combination of this first-in-class antibody, monalizumab, with durvalumab on top of current standard of care therapies in patients with less heavily pretreated disease”.
Key findings from the MSS-CRC expansion cohort:
Updated preliminary clinical data on the expansion cohort of microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer patients (MSS-CRC) presented at ASCO are based on the cut-off date of April 23, 2018. Forty patients are evaluable for safety and 39, for efficacy. Thirty five (88%) patients had 2 or more prior lines of therapy for recurrent/metastatic disease. Efficacy data show an overall response rate (ORR) of 8%, with confirmed partial response in 3 patients (8%) and stable disease (SD) in 11 patients (28%), including 3 SD patients with tumor reduction who continued therapy for >200 days. The median duration of response was 16.1 weeks at the cut-off date. Data demonstrated a disease control rate (DCR) of 31% at 16 weeks.
Clinical Activity in MSS-CRC Cohort*
|
MSS-CRC (n=39) |
|
|
Best Overall Response, n (%) |
|
|
CR |
0 |
|
PR |
3 (8%) |
|
Thereof unconfirmed CR |
1 (3%) |
|
SD |
11 (28%) |
|
PD |
22 (56%) |
|
NE/NA |
3 (8%) |
|
Overall response rate, n (%) [95% CI] |
3 (8%) [2-22%] |
|
Median duration of response, weeks (95% CI) |
16.1 (15.9-NE) |
|
Disease control rate at 16 weeks, n (%) [95% CI] |
12 (31%) [17-48] |
*data cut as of April 23, 2018
The safety profile of the monalizumab and durvalumab combination was consistent with the monotherapy profiles of each agent. In the MSS-CRC expansion cohort, the most common treatment-related AE included arthralgia (7.5%), increased AST (7.5%), hypothyroidism (7.5%), pruritus (7.5%), and rash (7.5%). Grade 3/4 AE that occurred in three patients were limited to sepsis (n=1, Grade 4) and increased lipase (n=1, Grade 3), that both could be resolved, and increased AST (n=1, Grade 3).