On November 9, 2018 Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRTX), a clinical-stage targeted oncology company, reported preliminary biomarker data from the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of sitravatinib in combination with nivolumab (OPDIVO) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 33rd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C (Press release, Mirati, NOV 9, 2018, View Source [SID1234531183]). The data will be presented today in a poster and also in an oral presentation on Saturday, November 10th.
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The ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of sitravatinib in combination with an anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, in patients who have experienced documented disease progression following prior checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Efficacy data were recently presented at the October 2018European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress. The data demonstrated a higher rate of durable responses than would be expected from treatment with docetaxel, the standard of care. Today’s presentation, "Preliminary Biomarker Analysis of Sitravatinib in Combination with Nivolumab in NSCLC Patients Progressing on Prior Checkpoint Inhibitor", highlighted an initial assessment of correlative biomarkers for the 56 evaluable patients from the on-going clinical trial. Exploratory baseline and dynamic biomarker endpoints were evaluated for correlation with clinical outcomes.
The analysis demonstrated a CD8+ T effector cell response in patients who achieved a clinical benefit, suggesting a therapy-driven restoration of the anti-tumor immune response in patients who had become refractory to prior checkpoint inhibitor treatment. The data suggest that patients with high PD-L1 at baseline may be more likely to benefit from treatment with the combination although the difference was not statistically significant. There was no difference in treatment outcomes for patients based on their baseline tumor mutational burden or other baseline biomarkers.
"We are encouraged that we observed clear evidence of an adaptive immune response in our Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating sitravatinib in combination with nivolumab. This suggests that the mechanism of sitravatinib is mediated, at least in part, by its effect on immune cell populations and that an anti-tumor immune response can be restored by sitravatinib administered with checkpoint therapy," said James Christensen, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Mirati Therapeutics. "We will continue to evaluate correlative endpoints as clinical trial data mature and determine whether biomarkers can be utilized to select patients who are most likely to benefit."
About Sitravatinib
Sitravatinib is a spectrum-selective kinase inhibitor that potently inhibits receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), including TAM family receptors (TYRO3, Axl, Mer), split family receptors (VEGFR2, KIT) and RET. As an immuno-oncology agent, sitravatinib is being evaluated in combination with nivolumab (OPDIVO), an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor, in patients who have experienced documented disease progression following treatment with a checkpoint inhibitor. Sitravatinib’s potent inhibition of TAM and split family RTKs may overcome resistance to checkpoint inhibitor therapy through targeted reversal of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, enhancing antigen-specific T cell response and expanding dendritic cell-dependent antigen presentation.
Sitravatinib is also being evaluated as a single agent in a Phase 1b expansion clinical trial emphasizing enrollment of patients whose tumors harbor specific mutations in the CBL protein. When CBL is inactivated by mutation, multiple RTKs, including TAM, VEGFR2 and KIT, are dysregulated and may act as oncogenic tumor drivers in NSCLC and melanoma. Sitravatinib potently inhibits these RTKs and is being investigated as a treatment option for cancer patients with CBL mutations.