Dr. Besse on Combination of Necitumumab and Abemaciclib in NSCLC

Benjamin Besse, MD, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, Paris Sud University, discusses the combination of necitumumab (Portrazza) and abemaciclib (Verzenio) in patients with stage IV non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Findings from a phase Ib study showed that this combination failed to improve outcomes in this patient population. The 2-part, single-arm trial with an expansion cohort was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination in comparison with historical data. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.14 months (95% CI, 1.41-2.76) and median overall survival (OS) was 6.93 months (CI 95%, 4.96-12.85). The PFS rate at 3 months was 32.3% and 22.2% at 6 months. At 6 months, OS was 57.3%.

The activity of the combination was not as elevated as expected, says Besse, and the trial was considered negative. When compared with single-agent erlotinib (Tarceva) in non-driver NSCLC, the activity is quite similar, Besse explained. The combination should not be developed further unless a predictive biomarker for necitumumab or abemaciclib can be found. If a biomarker is defined, this combination could be revisited in a molecularly selected population, Besse concludes.