On March 9, 2026 ImmunityBio (NASDAQ: IBRX), a commercial-stage immunotherapy company, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged receipt of its supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln) plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with papillary tumors.
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The resubmission follows ongoing discussions with the FDA beginning in January 2026, during which the Agency requested additional data to support its review. The request did not include the initiation or design of any new clinical trials. ImmunityBio submitted the requested information in February 2026. After reviewing the additional data, the FDA provided feedback in March requesting updated efficacy data. The company subsequently resubmitted the sBLA for patients with papillary-only NMIBC, including updated long-term follow-up data, and the Agency has acknowledged receipt of the filing. The long-term safety and efficacy results for ANKTIVA plus BCG in BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with papillary tumors have been published in The Journal of Urology.
"As far back as 2007, IL-15 was identified by leading scientific and medical organizations, including the NCI, NIH, FDA, AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper), and ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper), as the number one ranked immunotherapy molecule with the potential to cure cancer," said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Founder, Executive Chairman, and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of ImmunityBio. "The mechanism of action of ANKTIVA’s IL-15 superagonist activity was affirmed by the FDA’s approval of ANKTIVA in 2024 for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC with carcinoma in situ (CIS), with or without papillary tumors. The long-term data in papillary disease alone demonstrate prolonged disease-free survival and durable bladder preservation, consistent with ANKTIVA’s IL-15-based mechanism of action."
Dr. Soon-Shiong added, "We welcome FDA Commissioner Dr. Makary’s recent statements in The New England Journal of Medicine highlighting the importance of a "plausible mechanism of action" as an emerging regulatory pathway. The mechanism of action of ANKTIVA, which was recognized in the NCI’s 2007 report and reaffirmed in the FDA-approved 2024 package insert, embodies the principles underlying this approach."
Based on the IL-15 mechanism of action and results from the QUILT 3.055 study, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) recently approved ANKTIVA in combination with checkpoint inhibitors for patients with second-line and later metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has progressed after standard therapies, including checkpoint inhibitor treatment. In this setting, multiple randomized studies of investigational agents compared with docetaxel chemotherapy have failed to demonstrate improved outcomes, underscoring the significant unmet need among patients who experience relapse or progression after checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Notably, the recent randomized PRAGMATICA-LUNG (SWOG S2302) trial in the same disease setting, which compared pembrolizumab plus ramucirumab versus docetaxel, did not demonstrate improved survival compared with docetaxel, reporting a median overall survival of approximately nine months with docetaxel chemotherapy.
ImmunityBio plans to present the clinical data supporting the SFDA approval of the chemotherapy-free regimen of ANKTIVA plus checkpoint inhibitors, which demonstrated nearly double the median overall survival historically observed with docetaxel chemotherapy. The Company also intends to continue discussions with the FDA and other global regulatory authorities regarding potential treatment options for patients with second line and later metastatic NSCLC who have exhausted currently available standards of care, including checkpoint inhibitors.
About the Papillary Indication: The sBLA submission for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC papillary disease is supported by long-term results from the QUILT 3.032 Phase 2/3 trial (Cohort B) in 80 patients with high-grade papillary-only NMIBC. As published in The Journal of Urology (Chang et al., 2025), the study met its primary endpoint with a 12-month disease-free survival (DFS) rate of 58.2% (95% confidence interval: 46.6-68.2%). Patients treated with intravesical ANKTIVA plus BCG demonstrated a 96.0% disease-specific survival (DSS) rate at 36 months, with median DSS not yet reached. Progression-free survival (PFS) was 94.9% at 12 months and 83.1% at 36 months, indicating durable prevention of progression to muscle-invasive disease. Bladder preservation remained high, with cystectomy-free survival of 92.2% at 12 months and 81.8% at 36 months, meaning over 80% of patients avoided radical cystectomy through three years of follow-up. These results highlight the potential of ANKTIVA plus BCG to provide durable bladder-sparing outcomes and a chemotherapy-free immunotherapy alternative for patients with high-risk papillary NMIBC.
About ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln)
The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays a crucial role in the immune system by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of key immune cells—NK and CD8+ killer T cells—that are involved in killing cancer cells. By activating NK cells, ANKTIVA overcomes the tumor escape phase of clones resistant to T cells and restores memory T cell activity with resultant prolonged duration of complete response. A key component in the Company’s BioShield platform, ANKTIVA is a first-in-class IL-15 agonist IgG1 fusion complex, consisting of an IL-15 mutant (IL-15N72D) fused with an IL-15 receptor alpha, which binds with high affinity to IL-15 receptors on NK, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. This fusion complex of ANKTIVA mimics the natural biological properties of the membrane-bound IL-15 receptor alpha, delivering IL-15 by dendritic cells and driving the activation and proliferation of NK cells with the generation of memory killer T cells that have retained immune memory against these tumor clones.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
INDICATION AND USAGE: ANKTIVA is an interleukin-15 (IL-15) receptor agonist indicated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for the treatment of adult patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors.
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS: Risk of Metastatic Bladder Cancer with Delayed Cystectomy. Delaying cystectomy can lead to the development of muscle-invasive or metastatic bladder cancer, which can be lethal. If patients with CIS do not have a complete response to treatment after a second induction course of ANKTIVA with BCG, reconsider cystectomy.
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: For Intravesical Use Only. Do not administer by subcutaneous or intravenous routes.
Please see the complete Indication and Important Safety Information and Prescribing Information for ANKTIVA at Anktiva.com.
(Press release, ImmunityBio, MAR 9, 2026, View Source [SID1234663364])