• Results published in the peer-reviewed journal Investigational New Drugs
• Study in heavily pre-treated patients with solid tumor indications who had progressed on prior immune checkpoint inhibitors
• Median overall survival of 19.7 months, with greatest survival benefit in patients with high baseline levels of infiltrating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment

Cantargia (Cantargia AB; Nasdaq Stockholm: CANTA) today announced the publication of results from a clinical trial with nadunolimab in combination with pembrolizumab in the journal Investigational New Drugs. 15 heavily pre-treated patients with solid tumor indications who had previously progressed on immune checkpoint inhibitors were treated with nadunolimab and pembrolizumab. The trial showed an acceptable safety profile, with encouraging median survival times, especially in patients with a high level of immune cell infiltration in the tumor. These clinical data suggest a unique role of nadunolimab acting on immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.

“The vast number of patients whose cancer progresses on immunotherapy such as pembrolizumab have limited treatment options. These data, showing a long median survival with nadunolimab plus pembrolizumab, suggests that this combination may offer a new way to treat these high need patients.” said Dr Roger Cohen from University of Pennsylvania.

Immune checkpoint therapies targeting PD1, including pembrolizumab, have been some of the most transformative cancer treatments. These therapies are, however, subject to resistance mechanisms leading to loss of efficacy with time and many patients do not respond at all. The published data from the CIRIFOUR clinical trial of nadunolimab in combination with pembrolizumab in 15 patients highlights a unique opportunity to use nadunolimab in patients that have lost response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The CIRIFOUR trial investigated nadunolimab combination therapy with pembrolizumab in 15 heavily pretreated patients who had previously progressed on treatment with checkpoint inhibitors. Nine patients had head and neck cancer, five non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and one melanoma. The combination therapy was safe and well tolerated, and with an encouraging median survival of 19.7 months and a disease control rate of 60%. The strongest benefits were observed in a group of patients with a specific immune profile with high baseline levels of macrophages and natural killer cells in the tumor microenvironment.

The publication, titled “Safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of nadunolimab, an anti-IL-1 receptor accessory protein monoclonal antibody, in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with solid tumors”, by Cohen et al, is available online at the Investigational New Drugs web page and via Cantargia’s web page.