Tecentriq, Cotellic, and Zelboraf: Triple Threat Trumps Melanoma

The outcomes of a randomized phase III trial showed that adding Tecentriq (atezolizumab) to Cotellic (cobimetinib) and Zelboraf (vemurafenib) successfully reduced the risk of disease progression or death in patients with previously untreated BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma.

IMspire150, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, evaluated the addition of atezolizumab versus placebo to cobimetinib and vemurafenib and observed that the triple-threat drug cocktail was associated with progression-free survival. Roche, atezolizumab’s manufacturer, announced the results of the trial.

“By combining a cancer immunotherapy with targeted therapies, we hope to offer a new approach that improves outcomes for people with advanced, BRAF-mutant melanoma.” said Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and head of global product development at Roche, in a press release. “We look forward to discussing the results with health authorities around the world.”

Atezolizumab came up short in a previous phase III trial in which the drug was paired only with cobimetinib and did not stack up against Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in newly diagnosed melanoma patients.

Specific details remain quiet, but Roche said in its release the company plans to share the full results at an upcoming, unspecified medical meeting and will be discussed with the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency.

Monoclonal antibody atezolizumab binds with a protein called PD-L1 to prevent it from interacting with PD-1 and B7.1 receptors, thereby activating T cells.

“Tecentriq is a cancer immunotherapy that has the potential to be used as a foundational combination partner with other immunotherapies, targeted medicines and various chemotherapies across a broad range of cancers,” according to Roche.

The company currently has a large clinical trial development program for the drug; it is being evaluated alone and in combination with other medicines in over 50 studies, including late-stage studies spanning lung, kidney, skin, breast, colorectal, prostate, ovarian, bladder, blood, liver, and head and neck cancers.

Sources: Reuters, FiercePharma