Incyte Corporation announced promising findings from a trial for some patients with advanced lung cancer.
The early stage study evaluated non-small cell lung cancer treatment using epacadostat, Incyte’s selective IDO1 enzyme inhibitor, in combination with Merck’s Keytruda. Findings were released at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago on Saturday.
“These updated data suggest that the combination of epacadostat and pembrolizumab has promise for patients with advanced NSCLC, irrespective of PD-L1 status,” said ECHO-202 study investigator Tara Gangadhar, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “The results show a clinical benefit for patients with advanced lung cancer and establish a strong basis for progressing this novel, investigational immunotherapy combination into pivotal studies for the first-line treatment of these patients.”
The safety profile was consistent with previously reported Phase 1 findings, as well as the Phase 1/2 safety results.
Keytruda uses the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells. Epacadostat also helps the immune system in fighting cancer. Keytruda, a heavily advertised drug, was in the news last year when former President Jimmy Carter said it stopped his advanced case of melanoma.
