#7 Dual Checkpoint Inhibitor Improves Anti-Tumor Response
Oncology Advancements: Top 10 of 2022
The combination of two immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of advanced melanomas was approved by the FDA[2].
Why is this significant?
This approval introduces a new combination of immunotherapies that may act together to improve the anti-tumor response. This demonstrates the possibility of targeting two or maybe more different immune checkpoints.
Why Could this Impact Care?
This approval not only adds another weapon against melanoma, but it officially validates LAG-3 as a clinically effective checkpoint inhibitor. This is the first checkpoint inhibitor approved since Keytruda in 2014. The combination of two checkpoint inhibitors met the primary end point of progression-free survival (PFS) in first line treatment of metastatic or unresectable melanoma. When the combination was compared to one checkpoint inhibitor alone, PFS was extended from 4.6 months to 10.1 months[1].
Opdualag™ (new therapy) consist of a new checkpoint inhibitor, relatlimab, which blocks the LAG-3 protein found on immune cells. This is then paired with nivolumab which blocks a different immune checkpoint protein (PD-1).
Together these drugs promote an immune response against advanced or difficult to remove tumors.