EMPOWER-lung 1: A randomized, open-label, multi-national, phase III trial of cemiplimab, a human PD-1 monoclonal antibody, versus chemotherapy in first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with PD-L1 50%

Abstract

Background: Most patients (pts) with NSCLC present with advanced disease at diagnosis. Systemic therapy with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy regimens has been the standard first-line treatment for pts with advanced NSCLC whose tumours do not have EGFR, ALK, or ROS 1 mutations, but there is a need for effective treatments to improve long-term survival. With the recognition that NSCLC tumours express PD-L1, checkpoint inhibitors are being investigated in several clinical trials. There is currently only one PD-1 inhibitor approved as monotherapy in first-line treatment of NSCLC with PD-L1 expression ≥50%. In a phase 1 dose escalation and NSCLC expansion cohort, cemiplimab (REGN2810), a human monoclonal anti-PD-1, has demonstrated antitumour activity with an acceptable safety profile in anti-PD-1 naïve, pre-treated pts with NSCLC. Trial design: This is a randomised (1:1), multicentre, open-label, phase 3 study of cemiplimab versus platinum-based doublet chemotherapy in systemic treatment-naïve pts (≥18 years) with stage IIIB, IIIC or IV squamous or non-squamous NSCLC whose tumours express PD-L1 in ≥ 50% of tumour cells (NCT03088540)