Bavencio+Inlyta combo boosts progression-free survival in advanced kidney cancer
pharmafile | February 18, 2019 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Bavencio, Cancer, Kidney cancer, Merck KGaA, Pfizer, inlyta, pharma
New interim data for the combination of Pfizer’s Bavencio (avelumab) and Merck KGaA’s Inlyta (axitinib) have been released, showing that the pair “significantly extended” median progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
Specifically, when used as a first-line treatment, the combo therapy improved median PFS by five months compared to Pfizer’s Sutent (sunitinib), with the figures standing at 13.8 months versus 8.4 respectively, regardless of PD-L1 expression. Risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 39% in those with PD-L1+ tumours, and in 31% in the overall study population. Overall response rate (ORR) in PD-L1+ patients was 55.2% for the combo, compared to 25.5% with Sutent.
Evaluation is still ongoing to determine the combo’s efficacy in improving overall survival (OS), the second primary endpoint of the study.
“There is a significant need for patients with advanced RCC to prolong the time until the disease worsens beyond what tyrosine kinase inhibitors alone offer,” said Dr Robert J Motzer, Jack and Dorothy Byrne Chair in Clinical Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and principal investigator for the JAVELIN trial. “The magnitude and consistency of PFS and response rates seen thus far across populations in the JAVELIN Renal 101 study suggest that many different types of patients, including those with a favourable prognosis, could potentially derive benefit from this particular combination.”
Senior and co-corresponding study author and Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber, Dr Toni K Choueiri, also remarked: “In this study, the combination of avelumab plus axitinib not only prolonged the initial response in treated patients compared to sunitinib, but for patients who went on to subsequent therapy, reduced the risk of disease progression or death on the next treatment. Together with the progression-free survival results and objective response rates, these findings show the potential of this combination regimen to be an important new treatment option for patients with advanced RCC.”
Matt Fellows
Related Content
LGC Group opens $100M Organic Chemistry Synthesis Centre of Excellence
LGC Group, a life sciences company, has opened its new Organic Chemistry Synthesis Centre of …
Central nervous system cancer metastases – the evolution of diagnostics and treatment
The current forms of immunotherapy, how T cell therapy works and what the future holds
BioMed X and Servier launch Europe’s first XSeed Labs to advance AI-powered antibody design
BioMed X and Servier have announced the launch of Europe’s first XSeed Labs research project, …
