On June 2, 2023 BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, "BioNTech") and OncoC4, Inc. ("OncoC4"), reported positive preliminary data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 trial with the companies’ anti-CTLA-4 antibody candidate, BNT316/ONC-392 (gotistobart), in a patient cohort with metastatic, PD-(L)1-resistant non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC") (Press release, BioNTech, JUN 2, 2023, View Source [SID1234632386]). The preliminary results show encouraging clinical anti-tumor activity for BNT316/ONC-392 as a monotherapy in a hard-to-treat patient population, as well as a manageable safety profile. The data will be presented in a poster discussion session at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting by Kai He, M.D., Ph.D., Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
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The results featured at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting include a total of 27 patients with metastatic, PD-(L)1-resistant NSCLC, available for tumor response assessment who have received at least two doses of 10 mg/kg of BNT316/ONC-392. At data cut-off, the overall response rate ("ORR") among evaluable patients was 29.6%, with a disease control rate ("DCR") of 70.4%, including 1 complete response, 7 partial responses and 11 patients with stable disease. BNT316/ONC-392 continues to be well tolerated with a manageable safety profile. Immune-related adverse events (irAE) of Grade 3 and 4 were observed in 10 patients (30%), which is considered lower than what was reported for similar drugs.
"Metastatic NSCLC has a very poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of only 9%2. These new data highlight the potential of BNT316/ONC-392 to provide a new approach to leveraging CTLA-4 as an effective target to address advanced, hard-to-treat tumors, further broadening our oncology toolkit," said Prof. Özlem Türeci, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder at BioNTech. "Our goal is to accelerate the development of this program in NSCLC towards pivotal Phase 3 evaluation in line with our mission of providing the optimal therapeutic strategy for each cancer patient."
"The clinical activity and safety profile validate the improved therapeutic index of BNT316/ONC-392," said Pan Zheng, M.D., Ph.D. Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder at OncoC4. "We are especially encouraged by the readouts from the PD-(L)1-resistant NSCLC. Responses were observed regardless of PD-L1 status, and among those who failed multiple lines of immunotherapy and chemotherapy, including PD-1 and CTLA-4 combination therapy."
Lung cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed malignant cancer types and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with NSCLC1 making up approximately 85% of all lung cancers. The new data further support the initiation of a pivotal Phase 3 study with BNT316/ONC-392 as monotherapy for immunotherapy-resistant NSCLC, for which the candidate received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") in 2022. The Phase 3 trial, PRESERVE-003 (NCT05671510), is planned to start in Q3 2023.
About BNT316/ONC-392
BNT316/ONC-392 (gotistobart) is a next-generation anti-CTLA-4 antibody candidate jointly developed by BioNTech and OncoC4. BNT316/ONC-392 is currently in late-stage clinical development as monotherapy or combination therapy in various cancer indications. The immune checkpoint receptor CTLA-4 inhibits T cell immune response and reduces the activity of T cells in recognizing and eliminating cancer cells. Blocking CTLA-4 preserves T cell activity and enhances anti-tumor activity. BNT316/ONC-392 was designed to preserve CTLA-4 recycling and thus immunosuppressive T cells (regulatory T cells, or "Tregs") function in the peripheral tissues. This aims to give rise to fewer immune-related adverse effects and a more favorable safety profile. BNT316/ONC-392 is currently being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial (NCT04140526) in patients with advanced solid tumors as single agent or in combination with pembrolizumab. In addition, the candidate is also being evaluated in an additional Phase 2 trial as a combination therapy with pembrolizumab in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (NCT05446298).
About NSCLC
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) covers all epithelial lung cancers other than small cell lung cancer and includes squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. It is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for up to 85% of cases1, with risk factors ranging from smoking to asbestos exposure and pulmonary fibrosis3. With a 5-year relative survival rate of 23% in the United States (2012-2018), NSCLC is a devastating disease with limited treatment options depending on the stage and location of the tumor.3 Current standard of care includes surgery and radiotherapy in combination with chemotherapy.