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AACR: Akeso’s Cadonilimab Shows 1L Potential In Adenocarcinoma

Promising Interim Phase III Data

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

With a clinical win in the Phase III COMPASSION-15 trial in gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, Akeso's PD-1/CTLA-4-targeting agent is well positioned to expand its label beyond second- or third-line use for cervical cancer, and appears to stack up well against big global competitors. The Chinese firm is also aiming the bispecific antibody at hepatocellular and lung cancers.

gastric cancer
positive results help Akeso's cadonilimab position as standard 1L therapy for G/GEJ adenocarcinoma • Source: Shutterstock

Akeso Inc.’s cadonilimab, the first dual immune checkpoint-based bispecific antibody to be approved anywhere worldwide, appears set to move into the gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma space in combination with chemotherapy as a potential standard first-line therapy after the company unveiled results from the Phase III COMPASSION-15 study.

Key Takeaways

  • Outcomes from the the COMPASSION-15 trial showed cadonilimab plus XELOX chemotherapy cut risk of death by 38% versus placebo in the intent-to-treat population with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic HER2-negative G/GEJ adenocarcinoma.

  • While cross-trial comparisons are challenging, the overall survival results compared favorably with data from the KEYNOTE-859 trial with Merck’s Keytruda and CheckMate-649 trial with BMS's Opdivo

As of data cut-off on 18 August 2023, the regimen of cadonilimab, which targets PD-1/CTLA-4, plus XELOX chemotherapy (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) cut the risk of death by 38% compared with placebo in the intent-to-treat population with unresectable locally

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