Ivonescimab Outperforms Keytruda in NSCLC, Shows Promise as New Standard of Care
Ivonescimab reduces progression risk by 49% in NSCLC patients, outperforming Keytruda in phase 3 trial.
Breaking News
Sep 09, 2024
Mrudula Kulkarni

Akeso and Summit's ivonescimab has delivered impressive
phase 3 trial results, potentially establishing it as a new standard of care in
treating PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the HARMONi-2
study, ivonescimab reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 49%
compared to Merck’s Keytruda. The trial, conducted in China, also extended
progression-free survival for patients by 5.32 months, reaching a median of
11.14 months without tumor progression.
The drug’s superiority was consistent across various patient
subgroups, including those with different tumor types, smokers, non-smokers,
and those with brain metastases. These findings were presented at the 2024
World Conference on Lung Cancer, where experts highlighted ivonescimab’s
potential as a breakthrough treatment for first-line NSCLC patients.
Ivonescimab combines PD-1 and VEGF targeting, offering an
advantage over existing treatments like Roche’s Tecentriq and Avastin,
particularly for squamous patients, where Avastin is contraindicated due to
bleeding risks. Ivonescimab, however, showed low rates of serious hemorrhages
in the study.
While some VEGF-related side effects such as proteinuria and
hypertension were more frequent in ivonescimab-treated patients, they were
manageable, with no treatment discontinuations linked to them. Experts like Dr.
John Heymach of MD Anderson Cancer Center noted that these results could
disrupt the current treatment landscape, ushering in a new era of cancer
immunotherapy if future trials confirm these benefits.