AACR 2018: TLR9 agonist CMP-001 / pembrolizumab combination shows early efficacy in patients with metastatic melanoma resistant to anti-PD-1

Source: eCancer News, April 2018

A combination of CMP-001, an intratumoral Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist, and pembrolizumab, tested in patients with metastatic melanoma resistant to PD-1 checkpoint inhibition, was well tolerated and had clinical activity according to preliminary data presented from the ongoing phase Ib clinical trial at the AACR Annual Meeting 2018, April 14-18, in Chicago.
“Checkpoint inhibition is quickly becoming a key tool for oncologists to treat cancer,” said Mohammed Milhem, MBBS, clinical professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. “However, there are many patients that either initially respond to checkpoint inhibition and then progress, or never respond to this therapy to begin with. Finding safe and effective therapies for these patients is critical.”
While pembrolizumab is the standard of care for patients with metastatic melanoma, over 50 percent of these patients develop resistance, explained Milhem.