On August 30, 2017 Immune Design (Nasdaq:IMDZ), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on oncology, reported positive topline data from its interim analysis of the ongoing, randomized Phase 2 trial evaluating CMB305 in combination with atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ) or atezolizumab alone in 88 soft tissue sarcoma patients (Press release, Immune Design, AUG 30, 2017, View Source [SID1234520357]). The data will be presented in a poster discussion session at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2017 Congress, September 8-12, 2017 in Madrid, Spain.

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"The two main goals of this study are (1) to determine whether combining a next-generation vaccine like CMB305 with a checkpoint inhibitor (such as an anti-PD-L1 antibody) provides improved clinical benefit compared to that of the checkpoint inhibitor alone, particularly in a PD-L1-low or -negative tumor, and (2) in a randomized setting, to determine the biological activity of CMB305," said Carlos Paya, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Immune Design. "We believe these interim data constitute the first steps towards answering both questions in a favorable manner."

Data to be presented at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) build upon those data on the first 36 patients summarized in the abstract, and include a greater number of patients enrolled.

Clinical Benefit: Data from the larger patient population show that patients receiving CMB305 and atezolizumab experienced greater clinical benefit in the form of Disease Control Rate (including objective responses), Progression Free Survival and Time to Next Treatment than those receiving atezolizumab alone.
Immune Response: Patients who received the combination of CMB305 and atezolizumab demonstrated an increased frequency of induced immune responses to NY-ESO-1, including NY-ESO-1-specific T cells, NY-ESO-1 antibodies, and antigen spreading, in comparison to patients who received atezolizumab alone
Biomarkers: In an exploratory analysis, a trend towards improved overall survival was observed in patients in the CMB305 and atezolizumab combination arm who had pre-existing and treatment-induced anti-NY-ESO-1 immunity, compared to the atezolizumab alone arm. Pre-treatment tumor biopsy analysis showed negligible levels of PD-L1 expression.
Safety: No new safety signals have been observed in either arm.
The fully enrolled trial is evaluating the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of CMB305 in combination with atezolizumab, or atezolizumab alone, in a total of 88 patients with locally advanced, relapsed, or metastatic NY-ESO-1+ synovial sarcoma or myxoid/round-cell liposarcoma. Atezolizumab is a monoclonal antibody designed to target and bind to a protein called PD-L1 (programmed death ligand-1) and is being developed by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. The trial is being conducted pursuant to a clinical collaboration with Genentech. Immune Design intends to present survival data in 2018 once all patients have at least one year of follow up (current data are preliminary: median duration of observation

The ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Poster Discussion session presentation details are as follows:

A Phase 2 Study of CMB305 and Atezolizumab in NY-ESO-1+ Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Interim Analysis of Immunogenicity, Tumor Control and Survival
Abstract # 1480PD
Session Title: Sarcoma Poster Discussion Session
Date: Monday, Sept. 11, 2017
Time: 11 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.
Location: Bilbao Auditorium
Poster Presenter: Dr. Sant Chawla
Poster Discussant: Dr. Robert Maki

About CMB305

CMB305 is a prime-boost vaccine approach against NY-ESO-1-expressing tumors, designed to generate an integrated, anti-NY-ESO-1 immune response in vivo via a targeted, specific interaction with dendritic cells, a mechanism of action Immune Design believes differs from traditional cancer vaccines. CMB305 is being evaluated in soft tissue sarcoma patients in ongoing Phase 1 monotherapy and 2 combination studies. Immune Design has received Orphan Drug Designation for CMB305 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma, as well as from the FDA and European Medicines Agency for each of the components of CMB305 for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma.