The company expands the trial after successful completion of recruitment in the pembrolizumab combination arm.

The last patient in the initial treatment arm of the phase Ib clinical study CIRIFOUR has started treatment. A total of 15 patients have so far been recruited to this study, which evaluates nadunolimab (CAN04) in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab), and preliminary data indicate a good safety profile. The CIRIFOUR study protocol will now be expanded to include the next combination therapy arm where CAN04 is evaluated with pembrolizumab and platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

CAN04

The interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP)-binding antibody CAN04 is Cantargia’s most advanced program and is investigated in multiple clinical trials evaluating CAN04 in combination with different chemotherapy regimens in NSCLC, pancreatic cancer and other forms of cancer. CIRIFOUR is a phase Ib study conducted in the US with the aim to assess CAN04 in combination with the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab in patients with NSCLC, head and neck cancer, bladder cancer or malignant melanoma, who progressed on previous therapy with immune checkpoint inhibition.

“We are pleased to have reached the milestone of full recruitment in the first trial investigating CAN04 combination therapy with pembrolizumab and are excited to take the next step by adding CAN04 to the widely used combination of pembrolizumab and carboplatin/pemetrexed,” says Göran Forsberg, CEO of Cantargia.