This morning, SELLAS Life Sciences reported positive data in their completed Phase 1 study of galinpepimut-S (GPS) combined with checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab in patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. The study evaluated the protocol’s impact on patients who had already proven resistant to or who had relapsed following standard chemotherapy.
Mesothelioma Study Delivers 70.3 Week Median Overall Survival
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a notoriously aggressive and challenging form of cancer to treat. Always considered fatal, the asbestos-related disease generally claims its victims lives in just 15 months, regardless of the efforts of physicians. But researchers have made great strides in the use of innovative treatments, and studies continue to explore how to improve outcomes.
The recent study’s primary endpoint was to establish both safety and efficacy of the state-of-the-art treatment, and that goal was met with increased survival observed. Patients treated with the combination of the two drugs experienced 70.3 median overall survival, with 40% of patients alive as of the most recent follow-up. It is notable both that the 70.3-week overall survival was calculated from the cessation of the most recent previous therapy, as well as that median overall survival in relapsed patients treated with standard chemotherapy is just 28 weeks.
Thirty Percent of Mesothelioma Patients in Study Achieved Stable Disease
Notably, in addition to the drug protocol being deemed safe and effective in the Phase 1 trial and achieving 70.3-week overall median survival, three of the ten mesothelioma patients in the study reported stable disease, with tumor volume decreasing up to 17%. While all of the patients in the study experienced adverse events, these were expected, and none of the higher-level toxicities experienced were related to galinpepimut-S.
Commenting on the study’s results, Angelos Stergiou, M.D., Sc.D. h.c., President and CEO of SELLAS said, “This year, we have seen in two studies where GPS appears to increase the survival benefit in active disease when combined with checkpoint blockade drugs, one with relapsed/refractory WT1 positive ovarian cancer and now in relapsed/refractory WT1 positive mesothelioma. We believe that these observed survival benefits in the active disease setting further confirms strong biological effect of GPS in even the most challenging settings.”
Advances in mesothelioma treatment offer great hope to patients diagnosed with the rare, asbestos-related disease. For information on clinical trials and other resources, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
