On February 5, 2026 Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IOVA), a commercial biotechnology company focused on innovating, developing, and delivering novel polyclonal tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies for patients with cancer, reported data demonstrating a best-in-class profile for commercial Amtagvi (lifileucel) with unprecedented response rates in a real-world clinical, retrospective study in patients with advanced (unresectable or metastatic) melanoma. Amtagvi is the first one-time T cell therapy for a solid tumor cancer as well as the only FDA-approved treatment for advanced melanoma patients previously treated with anti-PD-1 and targeted therapy, where applicable.
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The real-world results were highlighted in an oral presentation at the 2026 Tandem Meetings of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) in Salt Lake City, UT.
Forty-one evaluable patients with previously treated advanced melanoma received commercial Amtagvi according to the U.S. prescribing information at four authorized treatment centers. The physician-assessed confirmed objective response rate (ORR) was 44% (18/41) and the disease control rate was 73% (30/41). Response rates were higher with earlier Amtagvi treatment. The ORR was 52% (12/23) following two or fewer lines of therapy compared to an ORR of 33% (6/18) after three or more lines of therapy. The unprecedented real-world response rates also improved upon the 31% ORR in the C-144-01 clinical trial that supported the U.S. FDA accelerated approval of Amtagvi.
Lilit Karapetyan, MD, MS of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute stated, "The real-world response rate builds on existing clinical data and supports consideration of lifileucel as soon as possible after immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. An overall response rate of 44% was observed in the full cohort, with a 52% response rate among patients treated in earlier lines of therapy. I am encouraged by the potential for an increasing number of patients to benefit as adoption of TIL therapy continues."
Daniel Kirby, Chief Commercial Officer of Iovance, stated, "The real world Amtagvi data with impressive response rates, paired with unprecedented five-year durability and survival data, demonstrate a best-in-class profile and better outcomes in patients treated earlier."
Previously treated advanced melanoma represents an unmet medical need with more than 8,000 annual U.S. deaths.1 More than half of patients treated with first line standard of care will progress within 12 months.2 The U.S. FDA granted accelerated approval for Amtagvi in February 2024 based on ORR and duration of response (DOR) from the C-144-01 clinical trial. The published final five-year analysis demonstrated unprecedented durability and follow-up in previously treated advanced melanoma patients, with ~31% ORR, median DOR of 36+ months, and a 20% five-year overall survival.3 Iovance is conducting TILVANCE-301, a Phase 3 clinical trial in frontline advanced melanoma, to confirm clinical benefit.
1. National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. 2025 Estimates. View Source (accessed February 2026)
2. Larkin J, et al. NEJM; Robert C, et al. Lancet; Tawbi HA, et al. NEJM
3. Medina T, et al. JCO
About Amtagvi
Amtagvi is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with a type of skin cancer that cannot be removed surgically or has spread to other parts of the body called unresectable or metastatic melanoma.
Amtagvi is used when your melanoma has not responded or stopped responding to a PD-1 blocking drug either by itself or in a combination, and if your cancer is BRAF mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor drug with or without a MEK inhibitor drug that has also stopped working.
The approval of Amtagvi is based on a study that measured response rate. Continued approval for this use may depend on the results of an ongoing study to confirm benefit.
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information that I should know about Amtagvi?
You will likely be in a hospital prior to and after receiving Amtagvi.
Before taking Amtagvi, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
Have any lung, heart, liver or kidney problems
Have low blood pressure
Have a recent or active infection or other inflammatory conditions including cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, hepatitis B or C or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
Are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant
Are breastfeeding
Notice the symptoms of your cancer are getting worse
Have had a vaccination in the past 28 days or plan to have one in the next few months
Have been taking a blood thinner
Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
How will I receive Amtagvi?
Amtagvi is made from your surgically removed tumor. Tumor derived T cells are grown in a manufacturing center at the end of which they number in the billions of cells.
Your tumor tissue is sent to a manufacturing center to make Amtagvi. It takes about 34 days from the time your tumor tissue is received at the manufacturing center until Amtagvi is available to be shipped back to your healthcare provider, but the time may vary. Your Amtagvi will be provided in 1-4 patient-specific infusion bag(s) containing 100 mL to 125 mL of viable (alive) cells per bag.
After your Amtagvi arrives at your treating institution, your healthcare provider will give you lymphodepleting chemotherapy to prepare your body.
Approximately 30 to 60 minutes before you are given Amtagvi, you may be given other medicines including:
Medicines for an allergic reaction (anti-histamines)
Medicines for fever (such as acetaminophen)
Your Amtagvi will be provided in 1 to 4 infusion bag(s) containing 100 mL to 125 mL of viable cells per bag. When your body is ready for Amtagvi infusion, your healthcare provider will give Amtagvi to you by intravenous infusion. This usually takes less than 90 minutes.
After getting Amtagvi
Beginning 3 to 24 hours after Amtagvi is given, you may be given up to 6 doses of IL-2 (aldesleukin) every 8 to 12 hours via intravenous infusion. Your doctor may discontinue IL-2 (aldesleukin) infusion any time if you have severe side effects.
You will have to stay in the hospital until you have completed the IL-2 (aldesleukin) treatment and you have recovered from any serious side effects associated with the Amtagvi treatment.
You should plan to stay within 2 hours of the location where you received your treatment for several weeks after getting Amtagvi. Your healthcare provider will check to see if your treatment is working and help you with any side effects that occur.
What are the possible side effects of Amtagvi?
The most common side effects of the Amtagvi treatment include chills, fever, low white blood cell count (may increase risk of infections), fatigue, low red blood cell count (may cause you to feel tired or weak), fast or irregular heartbeat, rash, low blood pressure, and diarrhea.
These are not all the possible side effects of the Amtagvi treatment. Talk with your healthcare provider for more information about Amtagvi. You can ask your healthcare provider for information about Amtagvi that is written for healthcare professionals.
You may report side effects to Iovance at 1-833-400-4682, or to the FDA, at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at View Source
Please see Full Prescribing Information and Patient Information, including Boxed Warning, for additional Important Safety Information.
(Press release, Iovance Biotherapeutics, FEB 5, 2026, View Source [SID1234662508])