Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of Sabestomig (AZD7789), an Anti-PD-1 and Anti-TIM-3 Bispecific Antibody, in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Previously Treated with Anti-PD-(L)1 Therapy

• Published in: Blood 2023-11, Vol.142 (Supplement 1), p.4433-4433
• Main Authors: Mei, Matthew G., Corazzelli, Gaetano, Morschhauser, Frank, Phillips, Elizabeth, Collins, Graham P., Lee, Hun Ju, Ansell, Steve M, Moskowitz, Craig H., Johnson, Nathalie A., Kuruvilla, John, Hutchings, Martin, Terol Castera, María José, Hawkins, George, Vossenkaemper, Anna, Collins, Teresa, Lesley, Robin, Dean, Emma, Yu, Ting, Hall, Connor, Cerec, Virginie, Zinzani, Pier Luigi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0006-4971; 1528-0020
• DOI: 10.1182/blood-2023-180926

Background Immunotherapies targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway have been shown to induce high response rates in patients with relapsed/refractory (r/r) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). However, most responses are partial and not durable. T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein-3 (TIM-3) is implicated as a resistance mechanism following anti-PD-1 therapy, and increased TIM-3 expression has been observed on T cells of patients with cHL post anti-PD-1 therapy. Therefore, we hypothesized that dual targeting of PD-1 and TIM-3 may reinvigorate immune responses and lead to more durable antitumor activity. Sabestomig is a monovalent, bispecific, humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds PD-1 and a unique epitope in the TIM-3 IgV domain without blocking phosphatidylserine binding, eliciting differential functionality. In preclinical mouse models, sabestomig was more effective at inhibiting growth of solid tumors than treatment targeting only PD-1, and sequential sabestomig after anti-PD-1 therapy increased antitumor responses. Here we report preliminary data from the ongoing dose escalation portion of a Phase I/II, open-label, multicenter study to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of sabestomig in patients with r/r cHL (NCT05216835). Methods Eligible patients are aged ≥16 years with r/r cHL, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1, at least one positron emission tomography-avid measurable lesion according to modified Lugano Criteria, and exposure to at least 2 prior lines of systemic therapy including a minimum of 3 cycles of an anti-PD-(L)1-based therapy. Sabestomig is intravenously infused over 1 hour following pretreatment with diphenhydramine and acetaminophen every 3 weeks, with planned doses ranging from 2 to 2000 mg across 8 cohorts (A1-A8); cohorts A1 to A4 (2, 7, 22.5 or 75 mg) follow an accelerated titration design with a single patient treated at each dose level, while cohorts A5 to A8 (225-2000 mg) follow a modified toxicity probability interval-2 algorithm. The primary endpoint of the dose escalation part of the study is safety, including dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). Secondary endpoints include efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity. Data cutoffs were May 17, 2023 for safety and June 20, 2023 for efficacy. Results As of May 17, 2023, 14 patients were treated across the first 6 cohorts (A1-A6; 2-750 mg). They were predominantly male (64.3%) with Stage IV disease (85.7%) and a median age of 41