Sanofi and Regeneron posted positive results with an overall survival (OS) benefit from the Phase 3 trial investigating its PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo (cemiplimab) monotherapy compared to chemotherapy in patients previously treated with chemotherapy whose cervical cancer is recurrent or metastatic.
The trial will be stopped early based on a unanimous recommendation by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC), and the data will form the basis of regulatory submissions in 2021, the companies said.
“Libtayo monotherapy is the first medicine to demonstrate an improvement in overall survival in women with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer following progression on platinum-based chemotherapy in a Phase 3 trial,” said Krishnansu S. Tewari, M.D., Professor and Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of California, Irvine and a trial investigator. “This landmark clinical achievement will bring hope to women with advanced cervical cancer who are often younger than patients with other cancers. This is reflected in the trial where the average age was 51.”
This is the largest Phase 3 randomized clinical trial in advanced cervical cancer and included women (median age: 51 years) with either squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma, Sanofi said. Patients were randomized to receive Libtayo monotherapy (350 mg every three weeks) or an investigator’s choice of commonly used chemotherapy (pemetrexed, vinorelbine, topotecan, irinotecan or gemcitabine).
“We are committed to developing therapies for cancers with high unmet needs including patients with advanced cervical cancer,” said Peter C. Adamson, M.D., Global Development Head, Oncology and Pediatric Innovation at Sanofi. “Combined with data from our non-melanoma skin cancer and lung cancer studies, these data contribute to the growing evidence demonstrating the significant potential of Libtayo to treat a spectrum of difficult-to-treat cancers.”
Today’s announcement follows the recent U.S. approval of Libtayo monotherapy for certain patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression. The FDA also recently authorized the use of Libtayo as the first immunotherapy indicated for patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) previously treated with a hedgehog pathway inhibitor (HHI) or for whom an HHI is not appropriate, whose cancer is either locally advanced (full approval) or metastatic (accelerated approval). In 2018, Libtayo was approved as the first systemic treatment for certain patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).
“Recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer is notoriously difficult to treat and has no approved standard of care after first-line chemotherapy,” said Israel Lowy, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Translational and Clinical Sciences, Oncology, at Regeneron. “This trial, which enrolled patients regardless of their PD-L1 status, demonstrated that Libtayo helped patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer live longer after progression on prior chemotherapy. This is the fourth patient population in which Libtayo has shown clinical benefit and we look forward to submitting the results to regulatory authorities later this year.”