Valemetostat + Pembrolizumab for Lung Cancer

Recruiting at 40 trial locations

Overseen By Contact for Trial Information

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Phase 1 & 2

Sponsor: Daiichi Sankyo

Must not be taking: Immunosuppressants, Steroids, Live vaccines

Disqualifiers: Autoimmune disease, CNS metastases, Cardiovascular disease, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Breakthrough Therapy This drug has been fast-tracked for approval by the FDA given its high promise

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

137 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This study will compare Valemetostat Tosylate Plus Pembrolizumab vs Pembrolizumab Alone in First-line NSCLC Without Actionable Genomic Alterations

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial protocol does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you are on immunosuppressive therapy or high-dose steroids, you may need to adjust your treatment. It's best to discuss your specific medications with the trial team.

What data supports the effectiveness of the drug Pembrolizumab for lung cancer?

Research shows that Pembrolizumab, a drug that helps the immune system fight cancer, has improved survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, especially when the cancer cells have a specific protein called PD-L1. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the combination of Valemetostat and Pembrolizumab safe for humans?

Pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda, has been studied in various trials for lung cancer and other conditions, showing it is generally safe for humans. It is approved for treating certain types of lung cancer, and studies have shown it to be safe when used alone. However, specific safety data for the combination with Valemetostat is not provided in the available research. ^{1 4 5 6 7}

What makes the drug combination of Valemetostat and Pembrolizumab unique for lung cancer?

This drug combination is unique because it combines Pembrolizumab, an immune system booster that targets PD-1 proteins on cancer cells, with Valemetostat, which may inhibit cancer cell growth by targeting specific enzymes. This approach could offer a novel way to treat lung cancer by using both immune system activation and direct cancer cell inhibition. ^{1 2 8 9 10}

Eligibility Criteria

Adults diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without certain genetic changes, who haven't had systemic therapy for their condition. They must have a high PD-L1 expression and no history of smoking or be under 40 if they have squamous NSCLC. Participants need measurable disease on scans and must provide tissue samples unless prohibited by law.

Inclusion Criteria

I have signed the informed consent form.

I am at least 18 years old or meet the legal age for consent in my area.

I have not received any systemic therapy for my advanced or metastatic disease.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Dose Escalation

Participants receive pembrolizumab and valemetostat tosylate with dose escalation to determine the recommended phase 2 dose

3 weeks

Weekly visits for dose escalation monitoring

Dose Expansion

Participants receive pembrolizumab and valemetostat tosylate at the recommended phase 2 dose

Up to 31 months

Visits every 3 weeks for treatment administration

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Pembrolizumab
• Valemetostat Tosylate

Trial Overview The trial is testing Valemetostat Tosylate combined with Pembrolizumab against Pembrolizumab alone in patients with first-line NSCLC that lacks specific genomic alterations. The goal is to see if adding Valemetostat improves treatment outcomes compared to just using Pembrolizumab.

Participant Groups

Group I: Phase 2: Pembrolizumab + Valemetostat Tosylate Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will be provided with pembrolizumab at standard dose of 200 mg IV Q3W, and valemetostat will be provided per recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D)

Group II: Phase 1b: Pembrolizumab + Valemetostat Tosylate Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will be provided with pembrolizumab at standard dose of 200 mg intravenously (IV) Q3W, and valemetostat will be provided per a dose escalation schedule, with an initial starting dose of 150 mg by mouth once daily.

Group III: Phase 2: Pembrolizumab Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will be provided with pembrolizumab at standard dose of 200 mg IV Q3W

Pembrolizumab is already approved in United States, European Union, United Kingdom for the following indications:

Approved in United States as KEYTRUDA for:

• Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with PD-L1 CPS ≥1
• Melanoma
• Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
• Urothelial carcinoma
• Colorectal cancer
• Gastric cancer
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Renal cell carcinoma
• Cervical cancer
• Endometrial carcinoma

Approved in European Union as KEYTRUDA for:

• Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with PD-L1 CPS ≥1
• Melanoma
• Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
• Urothelial carcinoma
• Colorectal cancer
• Gastric cancer
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Renal cell carcinoma
• Cervical cancer
• Endometrial carcinoma

Approved in United Kingdom as KEYTRUDA for:

• Untreated metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with PD-L1 CPS ≥1

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Daiichi Sankyo

Lead Sponsor

Trials

443

Recruited

493,000+

Hiroyuki Okuzawa

Daiichi Sankyo

Chief Executive Officer

Degree in Social Sciences from Hitotsubashi University

Yuki Abe

Daiichi Sankyo

Chief Medical Officer since 2023

MD

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Industry Sponsor

Trials

4,096

Recruited

5,232,000+

Chirfi Guindo

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Chief Marketing Officer since 2022

Degree in Engineering from Ecole Centrale de Paris, MBA from New York University Stern School of Business

Robert M. Davis

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Chief Executive Officer since 2021

JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Bachelor's in Finance from Miami University

Findings from Research

In a phase II trial involving 15 patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), neoadjuvant treatment with pembrolizumab showed a major pathologic response in 27% of patients, indicating promising antitumor activity before surgery.

The treatment was found to be feasible and safe, with only 33% of patients experiencing moderate adverse events, and no postoperative mortality, suggesting that pembrolizumab does not compromise surgical outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neoadjuvant anti-programmed death-1 immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: First clinical experience. Eichhorn, F., Klotz, LV., Kriegsmann, M., et al.[2022]

In a Phase 2 study involving 35 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, neoadjuvant pembrolizumab was found to be safe and well tolerated, with only one surgery delay due to thyroiditis and no mortality within 90 days post-surgery.

The study showed a high rate of R0 resection (88%) and a major pathologic response in 28% of patients, indicating that pembrolizumab may be more effective than standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in this setting.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Perioperative outcomes of pulmonary resection after neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Tong, BC., Gu, L., Wang, X., et al.[2022]

In a study involving 1033 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pembrolizumab significantly improved overall survival compared to docetaxel, with a hazard ratio of 0.66, indicating a 34% reduction in the risk of death.

The effectiveness of pembrolizumab was consistent across both archival and newly collected tumor samples, with better outcomes observed in patients with higher PD-L1 expression (TPS ≥50%), showing hazard ratios of 0.64 and 0.40 for overall survival, respectively.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Use of archival versus newly collected tumor samples for assessing PD-L1 expression and overall survival: an updated analysis of KEYNOTE-010 trial. Herbst, RS., Baas, P., Perez-Gracia, JL., et al.[2023]

Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, has demonstrated clinical effectiveness in treating various solid tumors, particularly in patients with PD-L1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer and unresectable/metastatic melanoma.

Early-phase trials and ongoing studies are focused on further confirming the clinical benefits of pembrolizumab in thoracic malignancies, highlighting its potential as a significant treatment option in cancer therapy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab for the treatment of thoracic malignancies: current landscape and future directions. Karim, S., Leighl, N.[2017]

In a study of 550 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, pembrolizumab demonstrated a 41% objective response rate in treatment-naive patients and a 23% response rate in previously treated patients, indicating its efficacy as a treatment option.

The median overall survival was significantly longer for treatment-naive patients (22.3 months) compared to previously treated patients (10.5 months), with safety data showing that only 12% experienced grade 3-5 treatment-related adverse events, suggesting a tolerable safety profile.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (KEYNOTE-001): 3-year results from an open-label, phase 1 study. Leighl, NB., Hellmann, MD., Hui, R., et al.[2022]

A 68-year-old patient with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma showed an unexpected positive response to paclitaxel after failing treatment with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

The patient experienced a response duration of over fourteen months with paclitaxel, suggesting that combining or sequencing chemotherapy with immunotherapy may enhance treatment effectiveness in certain cases.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Prolonged response with paclitaxel after immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in lung cancer]. Zapata, E., Mennecier, B., Leduc, C., et al.[2017]

Pembrolizumab is a safe and effective immune checkpoint inhibitor that targets the PD-1 receptor, currently approved for treating advanced melanoma and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Ongoing studies are exploring the potential of pembrolizumab in combination with other treatments for lung cancer and other cancer types, while also investigating biomarkers that may predict patient response to this therapy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab for the treatment of PD-L1 positive advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Dang, TO., Ogunniyi, A., Barbee, MS., et al.[2020]

In a phase 3 trial involving 305 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) expressing PD-L1, pembrolizumab significantly improved median progression-free survival to 10.3 months compared to 6.0 months with chemotherapy, indicating its efficacy as a treatment option.

Patients receiving pembrolizumab also experienced fewer treatment-related adverse events (73.4% vs. 90.0% for chemotherapy), highlighting its safety profile alongside its effectiveness in prolonging survival.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab versus Chemotherapy for PD-L1-Positive Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Reck, M., Rodríguez-Abreu, D., Robinson, AG., et al.[2022]

In a study of 100 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with pembrolizumab, further stratification of PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) beyond 50% did not significantly affect progression-free survival (PFS).

Smoking status was associated with improved PFS, while prior radiotherapy was linked to decreased PFS, indicating that these factors, along with performance status, may serve as important biomarkers for predicting response to pembrolizumab treatment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab monotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): can patient stratification be improved in the UK Tayside population? A retrospective cohort study. Mander, ES., Merrick, CB., Nicholson, HA., et al.[2023]

In a study of 1,026 treatment-naïve patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and PD-L1 expression of ≥50%, pembrolizumab showed an objective response rate of 44.5%, with median progression-free survival of 7.9 months and overall survival of 17.2 months.

Higher PD-L1 expression (≥90%) was linked to better treatment outcomes, while factors like poor performance status and the presence of bone or liver metastases were associated with worse clinical outcomes, indicating the importance of patient selection for pembrolizumab therapy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Clinicopathologic correlates of first-line pembrolizumab effectiveness in patients with advanced NSCLC and a PD-L1 expression of ≥ 50. Cortellini, A., Tiseo, M., Banna, GL., et al.[2020]

References

1. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neoadjuvant anti-programmed death-1 immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: First clinical experience. [2022]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Perioperative outcomes of pulmonary resection after neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. [2022]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Use of archival versus newly collected tumor samples for assessing PD-L1 expression and overall survival: an updated analysis of KEYNOTE-010 trial. [2023]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab for the treatment of thoracic malignancies: current landscape and future directions. [2017]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (KEYNOTE-001): 3-year results from an open-label, phase 1 study. [2022]

6. France pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Prolonged response with paclitaxel after immunotherapy by pembrolizumab in lung cancer]. [2017]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab for the treatment of PD-L1 positive advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. [2020]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab versus Chemotherapy for PD-L1-Positive Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. [2022]

9. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pembrolizumab monotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): can patient stratification be improved in the UK Tayside population? A retrospective cohort study. [2023]

10. Germany pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Clinicopathologic correlates of first-line pembrolizumab effectiveness in patients with advanced NSCLC and a PD-L1 expression of ≥ 50. [2020]