OncoSec Medical Inc (ONCSQ)

[hschlauch]

ESMO 2017 Congress Highlights

http://www.sitcancer.org/aboutsitc/media-room/meeting-highlights/2017/esmo#e6

Tumor LAG-3 expression is associated with response to combination LAG-3/PD-1 pathway inhibition in patients with melanoma that has progressed on prior anti–PD-1/PD-L1 therapy (LBA18)

Paolo Ascierto, MD (Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy) described late-breaking results from a phase 1/2a study (NCT01968109) evaluating efficacy and safety of combination therapy with the anti-LAG-3 antibody BMS-986016 (relatlimab) and the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab in patients with melanoma that progressed during prior anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy. As of June 15th, 2017, 68 patients (57% previously treated with anti-CTLA-4 treatment, 46% ≥ 3 lines of prior therapy) had received treatment with relatlimab (80mg Q2W) and nivolumab (240mg Q2W). ORR (1 CR, 6 PR [1 unconfirmed]) and DCR were 11.5% and 49%, respectively, in 61 evaluable patients. Median DOR was not reached. ORR in patients with LAG-3 expression ≥ 1% (n=33) was more than 3-fold higher than that in patients with LAG-3 expression <?1% (n=22; 18% vs. 5%), and this held true regardless of PD-L1 expression. TRAEs occurred in 41% of patients (4.4% G3/4). These data, from the largest study to date in patients treated with an anti-LAG-3/anti-PD1 combination, suggest that this combination has a similar AE profile to nivolumab alone, with greater efficacy, in heavily pretreated melanoma patients. Increased LAG-3 expression was associated with improved response to therapy, irrespective of PD-L1 expression.