Tavo Reverses Resistance to PD-1 Inhibitors in Metastatic Melanoma, Phase 2b Trial Suggests

Source: Immuno-Oncology News, December  2018

A combination of Tavo (tavokinogene telseplasmid/IL-12) and Keytruda(pembrolizumab) was effective at reducing tumors in advanced melanoma patients who had failed prior anti-PD-1 therapies, according to early results of a Phase 2b trial.

OncoSec Medical’s Tavo is intended to deliver the immune-stimulating protein interleukin-12 (IL-12) into the tumor microenvironment, inducing controlled and localized production of IL-12, and enabling the immune system to attack tumors throughout the body. Tavo was previously granted orphan drug and fast-track designations by the FDA.

The open-label, multicenter Phase 2b KEYNOTE-695 (PISCES) trial (NCT03132675) is assessing the combination of Tavo with intravenous (into the vein) Keytruda (by Merck, known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada) in patients with refractory, locally advanced or metastatic disease, which progressed despite at least four prior cycles with either Keytruda or Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo (nivolumab). Patient enrollment is still ongoing, and more information is available here.