An Effective Combination Therapy for Metastatic Melanoma

The combination therapy of intratumoral (IT) injection of sotigalimab (sotiga) with pembrolizumab is well tolerated and effective in checkpoint inhibitor (CPI)-naïve patients with metastatic melanoma (MM), according to a study presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2024.

“[CPIs] provide significant clinical benefits for patients with metastatic melanoma. However, resistance remains a challenge,” the researchers noted.

In this study, researchers analyzed 32 patients with PI-naïve MM. The primary outcomes were safety, tolerability, and assessment of the objective response rate.

The study showed that sotiga effectively engaged the CD40 pathway, which increased antigen presenting cells infiltration and activation, including cDCs and macrophages. Moreover, the analysis showed that sotiga in combination with pembrolizumab induced broad innate and adaptive immune activation, extending beyond the injected tumors.

“This combination therapy is well tolerated, has a notable clinical response, and generated robust innate and adaptive immunologic response that extended beyond the injected tumors,” the researchers concluded.

Reference

Bentebibel SE, McGrail D, Wahab R. Clinical and biomarker analyses of intratumoral CD40 agonist sotigalimab in combination with pembrolizumab in metastatic melanoma: A phase I/II trial. Abstract #71MO. Presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2024; September 13-17, 2024; Barcelona, Spain.