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A Trial to Learn How the Cancer Vaccine BNT116 in Combination With Cemiplimab Works and How Safe the Combination is in Adults With Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (EMPOWERVAX Lung 1)

A Phase 2 Study of Cemiplimab (Anti-PD-1 Antibody) in Combination With BNT116 (FixVac Lung) Versus Cemiplimab Monotherapy in First-Line Treatment of Patients With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) With Tumors Expressing PD-L1 ≥50%

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05557591
Enrollment
51
Registered
2022-09-28
Start date
2023-04-21
Completion date
2028-05-16
Last updated
2026-05-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Keywords

Cancer Vaccine, Immunotherapy, Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) monoclonal antibody, Treatment naïve Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), EMPOWERVAX Lung 1

Brief summary

This study is researching an investigational drug, called BNT116, in combination with cemiplimab. BNT116 and cemiplimab will each be called a "study drug", and together be called "study drugs". The study is focused on patients who have advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aims of this study are to see how safe and tolerable BNT116 is in combination with cemiplimab and to see how effective BNT116 in combination with cemiplimab is compared to cemiplimab by itself at treating cancer. The study is looking at several other research questions, including: * What side effects may happen from receiving the study drugs * How much study drug is in the blood at different times * Whether the body makes antibodies against the study drug(s) (which could make the drug less effective or could lead to side effects)

Interventions

DRUGBNT116

BNT116 is administered by IV injection.

DRUGCemiplimab

Cemiplimab is administered Q3W by IV infusion

Sponsors

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY
BioNTech SE
CollaboratorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Key Inclusion Criteria 1. Participants with non-squamous or squamous histology NSCLC with stage IIIB or stage IIIC disease who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation per investigator assessment or stage IV (metastatic) disease who received no prior systemic treatment for recurrent or metastatic NSCLC 2. Availability of an archival or on-study obtained formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue sample as defined in the protocol. 3. Expression of Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) ≥50%, as described in the protocol. 4. Participants must have at least 1 radiographically measurable lesion by computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) criteria 5. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤1 Key

Exclusion criteria

1. Participants who have never smoked, defined as smoking ≤100 cigarettes in a lifetime 2. Active or untreated brain metastases or spinal cord compression. Participants are eligible if central nervous system (CNS) metastases are adequately treated and patients have neurologically returned to baseline (except for residual signs or symptoms related to the CNS treatment) for at least 2 weeks prior to enrollment 3. Participants with tumors tested positive for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene translocations, or C-ros oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase 1 (ROS1) fusions 4. Encephalitis, meningitis, or uncontrolled seizures in the year prior to enrollment 5. Participants with history of interstitial lung disease (eg, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or organizing pneumonia), of active, noninfectious pneumonitis that required immune-suppressive doses of glucocorticoids to assist with management, or of pneumonitis within the last 5 years 6. Prior splenectomy 7. Uncontrolled infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), HBV or hepatitis C infection (HCV); or diagnosis of immunodeficiency as defined in the protocol 8. Ongoing or recent (within 2 years) evidence of significant autoimmune disease that required treatment with systemic immunosuppressive treatments, which may suggest risk of immune-related treatment-emergent adverse events (imTEAEs) 9. Participants requiring corticosteroid therapy (\>5 mg prednisone/day or equivalent) within 14 days of randomization 10. Another malignancy that is progressing or requires treatment, except for non melanomatous skin cancer that has undergone potentially curative therapy, in situ cervical carcinoma, or any other localized tumor that has been treated, and the participant is deemed to be in complete remission for at least 2 years prior to enrollment, and no additional therapy is required during the study period 11. Documented or suspected ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection as defined in the protocol 12. Patients who have received prior systemic therapies for NSCLC are excluded except for of the following: 1. Adjuvant or neoadjuvant platinum-based doublet chemotherapy (after surgery and/or radiation therapy) if recurrent or metastatic disease develops more than 6 months after completing therapy if toxicities have resolved to CTCAE grade ≤1 or baseline except for alopecia and peripheral neuropathy. 2. Anti-PD-(L)1 with or without LAG-3 as an adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy as long as the last dose is \>12 months prior to enrollment. 3. Prior exposure to other immunomodulatory or vaccine therapies as an adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy such as anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen (anti-CTLA-4) antibodies if the last dose is \>6 months prior to enrollment 13. History or current evidence of significant cardiovascular disease including, myocarditis, congestive heart failure (as defined by New York Heart Association Functional Classification III and IV), unstable angina, serious uncontrolled arrhythmia, and myocardial infarction 6 months prior to study enrollment. 14. Hypersensitivity to cemiplimab or BNT116 or any of their excipients, or contraindicated to cemiplimab per approved local labeling. 15. Patients treated with immunostimulatory agents that may influence the efficacy of the investigational medicinal products (IMPs) are not allowed if they received such agents within 6 weeks or five halve lives of the drug. Note: Other protocol-defined Inclusion/

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by blinded independent review committee (BIRC) using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1)Up to 136 weeks from randomizationProportion of patients with a best overall response of confirmed complete response (CR) or partial response (PR)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
ORR by investigator assessmentUp to 136 weeks from randomizationProportion of patients with a best overall response of confirmed CR or PR
Duration of Response (DOR) as assessed by BIRC using RECIST 1.1Up to 3 years from last patient randomizedThe time from first response of CR or PR to first radiographic progression or death due to any cause for patients with confirmed CR or PR
DOR by investigator assessmentUp to 3 years from last patient randomizedThe time from first response of CR or PR to first radiographic progression or death due to any cause for patients with confirmed CR or PR
Progression Free Survival (PFS) as assessed by BIRC using RECIST 1.1Up to 3 years from last patient randomizedThe time from randomization to the date of the first radiographic progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurred earlier
PFS by investigator assessmentUp to 3 years from last patient randomizedThe time from randomization to the date of the first radiographic progression or death due to any cause, whichever occurred earlier
Overall Survival (OS)Up to 3 years from last patient randomizedThe time from enrollment to the date of death due to any cause
Incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs)Up to 3 yearsA TEAE is any untoward medical occurrence in a patient or clinical investigation participant administered a pharmaceutical product, which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment.
Incidences of serious adverse events (SAEs)Up to 3 yearsAn SAE is any untoward medical occurrence that at any dose: * Results in death - includes all deaths, even those that appear to be completely unrelated to study drug (eg, a car accident in which a patient is a passenger) * Is life-threatening * Requires in-patient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization * Results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity * Is a congenital anomaly/birth defect * Is an important medical event
Incidences of deathsUp to 3 years
Incidences of laboratory abnormalitiesUp to 3 yearsAccording to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 Causality grading system (≥ Grade 3 or higher)

Countries

Georgia, Germany, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey (Türkiye), United States

Contacts

STUDY_DIRECTORClinical Trial Management

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 7, 2026