Deputax-M failed to meet its target overall survival during an interim analysis of a phase 3 clinical trial in glioblastoma
Deputax-M, also known as ABT-144, is an anti-cancer drug produced by AbbVie, a pharmaceutical company.
The company recently announced that during an interim analysis of the trial, the drug failed to improve overall survival in the phase 3 clinical trial called INTELLANCE 1.
Coming so soon after the news that the clinical trial CheckMate-498, using Nivolumab, also missed its targets this is hard news for our community to hear.
While Deputax-M has proved to be safe, well-tolerated, and improve the survival rate in previous clinical trials, including a phase 3 trial testing this drug in people with recurrent glioblastoma, it did not live up to the expectations of researchers and the patient community in this particular trial, which involved people with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.
While this is disappointing, it is important to note that there learning opportunities for researchers and clinicians.
Negative results will drive the research community to further understand the mechanisms of the drugs being tested and find the best ways to use it in the future.
More about the trial
The trial was testing Deputax-M in combination with radiotherapy and temozolomide compared to only radiotherapy and temozolomide in people with newly diagnosed glioblastoma with amplified epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
In approximately 50% of glioblastomas, a gene called epidermal growth factor receptor is amplified (or has more copies than is considered normal).
In normal cells, EGFR is involved in regulating cell growth and division. However, when EGFR is changed or in the case of some glioblastomas amplified, it causes increased cell growth and division, ultimately driving tumour development.
Deputax-M aimed to block this increased cell growth and division and stop tumour growth. The drugs is made from a combination of a monoclonal antibody, a type of drug that targets receptors, and an anti-cancer substance that when released inside the tumour cells causes them to die.
The underlying method of treating people with Deputax-M is that the monoclonal antibody is able to mainly target glioblastoma cells containing EGFR, causing these cells to die.
All new drugs entering the clinic have to go through a rigorous testing process during which they must demonstrate that they are safe and better than the current standard of treatment that is available to patients.
The way that new drugs demonstrate this is through improving overall survival, which refers to how long people live after receiving a particular treatment.
Upon interim analysis of the INTELLANCE 1 clinical trial, The Independent Monitoring Committee, a group that is separate from the pharmaceutical company and is responsible for the safe monitoring of trials, recommended that this trial be stopped due to the lack of improvement in overall survival for people being treated with Deputax-M.
Glioblastomas are the most common, primary high grade brain tumour in adults. With less than 5% of people surviving for five years or more after their diagnosis, the prognoses for this tumour type are dismal.
There is an urgent need for new treatments for this tumour type, making this news very disheartening.
We understand that this might be difficult news to process and if you require additional information, please contact the Research Team
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