Bemcentinib Plus SOC Is Well Tolerated, But Does Not Improve Efficacy in Metastatic Melanoma
Source: Dermatology Times, December 2023
The addition of bemcentinib (BGB324) to the standard-of-care (SOC) therapies of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or dabrafenib (Tafinlar) plus trametinib (Mekinist) was well tolerated in patients with metastatic melanoma; however, it did not lead to improvements in overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), or overall survival (OS) vs SOC alone, according to data from the phase 1b/2 BGBIL006 trial (NCT02872259).
Findings presented at the 2023 ESMO Congress also showed that preplanned analyses of baseline biomarkers did not identify subgroups of patients who achieved an increased response to combinations featuring bemcentinib compared with SOC alone.
Regarding safety, any-grade adverse effects (AEs) occurred in 98% of patients treated with bemcentinib-based combinations (n = 64) vs 100% of those given SOC alone (n = 27). The rates of grade 3 or higher AEs were 35% and 22%, respectively. Notably, 24% (n = 18/73) of grade 3 or higher AEs were deemed to be possibly related to bemcentinib. The most common any-grade AEs possibly related to bemcentinib were rash, diarrhea, fatigue, and increased transaminases.