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NCT Number: NCT05557591

A Trial to Learn How the Cancer Vaccine BNT116 in Combination With Cemiplimab Works and How Safe the Combination is in Adults With Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (EMPOWERVAX Lung 1)

This study is researching an investigational drug, called BNT116, in combination with cemiplimab. BNT116 and cemiplimab will each be called a "study drug", and together be called "study drugs". The study is focused on patients who have advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The aims of this study are to see how safe and tolerable BNT116 is in combination with cemiplimab and to see how effective BNT116 in combination with cemiplimab is compared to cemiplimab by itself at treating cancer.

The study is looking at several other research questions, including:

* What side effects may happen from receiving the study drugs * How much study drug is in the blood at different times * Whether the body makes antibodies against the study drug(s) (which could make the drug less effective or could lead to side effects)

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

LTD High Technology Hospital Medcenter, Batumi, Georgia

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Key Inclusion Criteria

  • Participants with non-squamous or squamous histology NSCLC with stage IIIB or stage IIIC disease who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation per investigator assessment or stage IV (metastatic) disease who received no prior systemic treatment for recurrent or metastatic NSCLC
  • Availability of an archival or on-study obtained formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue sample as defined in the protocol.
  • Expression of Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) ≥50%, as described in the protocol.
  • Participants must have at least 1 radiographically measurable lesion by computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) criteria
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤1

Key Exclusion Criteria

  • Participants who have never smoked, defined as smoking ≤100 cigarettes in a lifetime
  • Active or untreated brain metastases or spinal cord compression. Participants are eligible if central nervous system (CNS) metastases are adequately treated and patients have neurologically returned to baseline (except for residual signs or symptoms related to the CNS treatment) for at least 2 weeks prior to enrollment
  • Participants with tumors tested positive for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene translocations, or C-ros oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase 1 (ROS1) fusions
  • Encephalitis, meningitis, or uncontrolled seizures in the year prior to enrollment
  • Participants with history of interstitial lung disease (eg, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or organizing pneumonia), of active, noninfectious pneumonitis that required immune-suppressive doses of glucocorticoids to assist with management, or of pneumonitis within the last 5 years
  • Prior splenectomy
  • Uncontrolled infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), HBV or hepatitis C infection (HCV); or diagnosis of immunodeficiency as defined in the protocol
  • Ongoing or recent (within 2 years) evidence of significant autoimmune disease that required treatment with systemic immunosuppressive treatments, which may suggest risk of immune-related treatment-emergent adverse events (imTEAEs)
  • Participants requiring corticosteroid therapy (>5 mg prednisone/day or equivalent) within 14 days of randomization
  • Another malignancy that is progressing or requires treatment, except for non melanomatous skin cancer that has undergone potentially curative therapy, in situ cervical carcinoma, or any other localized tumor that has been treated, and the participant is deemed to be in complete remission for at least 2 years prior to enrollment, and no additional therapy is required during the study period
  • Documented or suspected ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection as defined in the protocol
  • Patients who have received prior systemic therapies for NSCLC are excluded except for of the following:
  • Adjuvant or neoadjuvant platinum-based doublet chemotherapy (after surgery and/or radiation therapy) if recurrent or metastatic disease develops more than 6 months after completing therapy if toxicities have resolved to CTCAE grade ≤1 or baseline except for alopecia and peripheral neuropathy.
  • Anti-PD-(L)1 with or without LAG-3 as an adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy as long as the last dose is >12 months prior to enrollment.
  • Prior exposure to other immunomodulatory or vaccine therapies as an adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy such as anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen (anti-CTLA-4) antibodies if the last dose is >6 months prior to enrollment
  • History or current evidence of significant cardiovascular disease including, myocarditis, congestive heart failure (as defined by New York Heart Association Functional Classification III and IV), unstable angina, serious uncontrolled arrhythmia, and myocardial infarction 6 months prior to study enrollment.
  • Hypersensitivity to cemiplimab or BNT116 or any of their excipients, or contraindicated to cemiplimab per approved local labeling.
  • Patients treated with immunostimulatory agents that may influence the efficacy of the investigational medicinal products (IMPs) are not allowed if they received such agents within 6 weeks or five halve lives of the drug.

Note: Other protocol-defined Inclusion/Exclusion criteria apply

Treatment and study plan

BNT116

Drug

BNT116 is administered by IV injection.

cemiplimab

Drug

Cemiplimab is administered Q3W by IV infusion

Other names: REGN2810, Libtayo

Primary outcomes

  1. Objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by blinded independent review committee (BIRC) using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1)

    Time frame: Up to 136 weeks from randomization

    Proportion of patients with a best overall response of confirmed complete response (CR) or partial response (PR)

Secondary outcomes

  1. ORR by investigator assessment

    Time frame: Up to 136 weeks from randomization

    Proportion of patients with a best overall response of confirmed CR or PR

  2. Duration of Response (DOR) as assessed by BIRC using RECIST 1.1

    Time frame: Up to 3 years from last patient randomized

    The time from first response of CR or PR to first radiographic progression or death due to any cause for patients with confirmed CR or PR

  3. DOR by investigator assessment

    Time frame: Up to 3 years from last patient randomized

    The time from first response of CR or PR to first radiographic progression or death due to any cause for patients with confirmed CR or PR

  4. Progression Free Survival (PFS) as assessed by BIRC using RECIST 1.1

    Time frame: Up to 3 years from last patient randomized

    The time from randomization to the date of the first radiographic progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurred earlier

  5. PFS by investigator assessment

    Time frame: Up to 3 years from last patient randomized

    The time from randomization to the date of the first radiographic progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurred earlier

  6. Overall Survival (OS)

    Time frame: Up to 3 years from last patient randomized

    The time from enrollment to the date of death due to any cause

  7. Incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs)

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

    A TEAE is any untoward medical occurrence in a patient or clinical investigation participant administered a pharmaceutical product, which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment.

  8. Incidences of serious adverse events (SAEs)

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

    An SAE is any untoward medical occurrence that at any dose:

    • Results in death - includes all deaths, even those that appear to be completely unrelated to study drug (eg, a car accident in which a patient is a passenger)
    • Is life-threatening
    • Requires in-patient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization
    • Results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity
    • Is a congenital anomaly/birth defect
    • Is an important medical event
  9. Incidences of deaths

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

  10. Incidences of laboratory abnormalities

    Time frame: Up to 3 years

    According to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 Causality grading system (≥ Grade 3 or higher)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Industry

Collaborators

  • BioNTech SE

Registry information

Official study title

A Phase 2 Study of Cemiplimab (Anti-PD-1 Antibody) in Combination With BNT116 (FixVac Lung) Versus Cemiplimab Monotherapy in First-Line Treatment of Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) With Tumors Expressing PD-L1 ≥50%

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Sep 28, 2022
Registry last updated
May 6, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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