THE EXPERIMENTAL LUNG-CANCER DRUG NEARLY DOUBLED MEDIAN SURVIVAL.
18.5 months vs. 10.0. Promising, not approved.
THE EXPERIMENTAL LUNG-CANCER DRUG NEARLY DOUBLED MEDIAN SURVIVAL
New data presented September 14 from the PRESERVE-003 trial suggest an experimental, chemotherapy-free immunotherapy could materially extend survival for some patients with hard-to-treat squamous non-small cell lung cancer.
WHAT HAPPENED
In the non-pivotal first stage of the randomized Phase 3 trial, 45 patients received gotistobart and 42 received docetaxel after their cancer had progressed following immunotherapy and platinum chemotherapy. At a July 17 data cutoff, median overall survival was 18.5 months with gotistobart versus 10.0 months with docetaxel (hazard ratio 0.56; nominal p=0.0295). Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events were reported in 44.4% and 48.8% of patients, respectively. The larger pivotal stage is ongoing.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
For a patient group with few good options after standard treatment stops working, an extra 8.5 months in median survival is not a motivational quote. It is time. The important asterisk: this is encouraging trial data, not an approved cure, and the pivotal stage still has to hold up.
ORIGINAL SOURCEBioNTech / OncoC4Read the original report