On December 22, 2021 Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND) reported that its partner CStone Pharmaceuticals (HKEX: 2616) reported that it has received approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for sugemalimab (Cejemly), an OmniAb-derived anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, for the first-line treatment of metastatic (stage IV) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in combination with chemotherapy (Press release, Ligand, DEC 22, 2021, View Source [SID1234597599]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Sugemalimab is an anti-PD-L1 antibody in development to treat various cancers. Positive results from the planned interim analysis of the Phase 3 study in stage IV NSCLC (GEMSTONE 302) were reported in August 2020 and updated data were presented in a late-breaking oral presentation at the IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer, showing that sugemalimab plus chemotherapy continued to demonstrate improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) than seen in the interim analysis. CStone reported in May 2021 that the Phase 3 study evaluating sugemalimab in stage III NSCLC (GEMSTONE-301) met its primary endpoint of prolonged PFS in a planned interim analysis. On September 2, CStone announced that the NMPA accepted the NDA of sugemalimab for consolidation therapy in patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC who have not progressed after concurrent or sequential radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
In addition to NSCLC, sugemalimab is being investigated in a Phase 2 registrational study for relapsed or refractory extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (R/R ENKTL) and in Phase 3 registrational studies for gastric cancer and esophageal cancer. Sugemalimab has received breakthrough therapy designation from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of China’s NMPA for the treatment of adult patients with R/R ENKTL.
"Today’s NMPA approval is an important milestone for CStone and their robust sugemalimab development program," said John Higgins, CEO of Ligand Pharmaceuticals. "This approval comes just months after the first regulatory approval for an OmniAb-derived medicine and further highlights the transformative year for OmniAb as our partners’ late-stage pipelines continue to advance. We believe OmniAb’s broad use and differentiated technology will drive continued favorable clinical and regulatory events in the coming years."
About sugemalimab
Sugemalimab (Cejemly) is an investigational anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody developed by CStone and discovered using the OmniRat transgenic animal platform, which can generate fully human antibodies. As a fully human, full-length anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, Cejemly mirrors the natural G-type immunoglobulin 4 (IgG4) human antibody, which may reduce the risk of immunogenicity and potential toxicities in patients.
In the planned interim analysis of the Phase 3 GEMSTONE 302 study for the first-line treatment of patients with stage IV NSCLC, sugemalimab in combination with chemotherapy met the primary endpoint and significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 50% [95% CI: 0.39, 0.64], p<0.0001. Updated data of the GEMSTONE-302 study showed that the risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 52%, and an encouraging trend in overall survival (OS) was observed. The investigator-assessed PFS was 9.0 months vs 4.9 months [HR=0.48 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.60, p<0.0001)] and the median OS was 22.8 months vs 17.7 months, HR=0.67, although the OS events had not yet met the pre-defined interim analysis plan. Sugemalimab plus chemotherapy had a well-tolerated safety profile, and no new safety signals were observed.
In the planned interim analysis of the GEMSTONE-301 study in stage III NSCLC, the independent data monitoring committee assessed that it reached the preset primary study endpoint. The results of the trial showed that sugemalimab as a consolidation treatment significantly improved PFS assessed by the blinded independent center review, and the difference was statistically significant and clinically significant. The PFS results assessed by the investigator were consistent with the primary study endpoint. Sugemalimab was well-tolerated with no new safety signals. Subgroup analysis showed that both patients who received concurrent or sequential radiotherapy and chemotherapy before the trial showed clinical benefit. On September 2, 2021, CStone announced that the NMPA accepted the NDA of sugemalimab for stage III NSCLC.
Currently, sugemalimab is being investigated in several ongoing clinical trials, including a Phase 2 registration study for R/R ENKTL and four Phase 3 registrational studies in Stage III NSCLC, Stage IV NSCLC, gastric cancer and esophageal cancer.
About OmniAb
The OmniAb discovery platform provides Ligand’s pharmaceutical industry partners access to the diverse antibody repertoires and high-throughput screening technologies to enable discovery of next-generation therapeutics. At the heart of the OmniAb platform is the Biological Intelligence (BI) of our proprietary transgenic animals, including OmniRat, OmniChicken and OmniMouse that have been genetically modified to generate antibodies with human sequences to facilitate development of human therapeutic candidates. OmniFlic (transgenic rat) and OmniClic (transgenic chicken) address industry needs for bispecific antibody applications though a common light chain approach, and OmniTaur features unique structural attributes of cow antibodies for complex targets. OmniAb animals comprise the most diverse host systems available in the industry and they are optimally leveraged through computational antigen design and immunization methods, paired with high-throughput microfluidic-based single B cell screening and deep computational analysis of next-generation sequencing datasets to identify fully human antibodies with superior performance and developability characteristics. An established core competency focused on ion channels and transporters further differentiates our technology and creates opportunities to further leverage across modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates and others. The OmniAb suite of technologies and differentiating computational capabilities and BI features are combined to offer a highly efficient and customizable end-to-end solution for the growing discovery needs of the global pharmaceutical industry.