This clinical study is looking at the combination of two experimental drugs called tepotinib and pembrolizumab. Pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda, is licenced and available by prescription to treat a variety of cancers. Tepotinib is currently licensed in the UK for use in non-small cell lung cancer (NCSLC) and is being investigated for this purpose. Cancer immunotherapy drugs hold great promise but still do not work for many patients. Laboratory studies on cancers that do not respond well to immunotherapy reveal that most of these tumours do not have any immune cells. This suggests that the cancer has successfully hidden itself and avoided being recognised by the immune system. This study aims to use a novel approach using a targeted drug, tepotinib, to target the gene involved with NSCLC. Tepotinib is a type of drug called a kinase inhibitor. Kinase inhibitors are a newer type of drug being used to try to treat cancers. They act by blocking some of the chemical messengers that are part of the signalling process within cancer cells that control their growth. Tepotinib is used in adults to treat NSCLC that can have certain abnormal changes in the mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor gene (MET) and which has spread and/or cannot be removed by surgery. The changes in the MET gene can make an abnormal protein which can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and cancer. By blocking this abnormal protein, tepotinib may slow or stop the cancer from growing as well as potentially shrinking the cancer. This study will include patients with and without the MET exon 14 mutations. In this clinical study, the investigators aim to test our ideas in a small number of people for the first time, specifically in those patients with cancers which do not respond to cancer immunotherapy.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
19
Tepotinib hydrochloride hydrate will be supplied as film coated tablets. The 250 mg oval, white-pink film-coated tablets contain the excipients mannitol, microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, and Opadry II pink. All formulations are intended for oral administration. Refer to pharmacy manual for formulation and strength information.
Pembrolizumab Solution for Infusion 100 mg/vial is a liquid drug product supplied as a clear to opalescent solution, essentially free of visible particles, in Type I glass vials and manufactured using the fully formulated drug substance with L-histidine as buffering agent, polysorbate 80 as surfactant, and sucrose as stabilizer/tonicity modifier. Pembrolizumab Solution for Infusion can be further diluted with normal saline or 5% dextrose in the concentration range of 1 to 10 mg/mL in IV containers made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or non-PVC material.
DDU, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom
RECRUITINGUniversity College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
London, United Kingdom
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGLung Unit, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
London, United Kingdom
RECRUITINGThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Manchester, United Kingdom
RECRUITINGAnti-tumour activity evaluation (in Part B)
Assessing the antitumour activity of tepotinib in combination with pembrolizumab using the overall response rate as defined by disease response using iRECIST
Time frame: 24 Months
Determination of MTD and RP2D
Establishing the recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) of tepotinib in combination with pembrolizumab by determining a dose at which no more than one patient out of six patients at the same dose level experience a drug-related dose limiting toxicity (DLT).
Time frame: 12 Months
Safety and tolerability of the combination of tepotinib with pembrolizumab
Determining causality of each adverse event to the combination of tepotinib with pembrolizumab and grading severity according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Version 5.0. Discontinuation rate defined as number of patients discontinuing IMP due to toxicity
Time frame: 24 Months
Further anti-tumour activity evaluation
Evaluating the further measures of antitumour activity of tepotinib in combination with pembrolizumab. Clinical benefit rate defined as the percentage of patient who have achieved complete response, partial response or stable disease according to iRECIST
Time frame: 24 Months
Pharmacokinetics of Tepotinib investigating maximum plasma concentration
Determination of the plasma levels of Tepotinib in Part A of the study, using validated assays
Time frame: 12 Months
Pharmacodynamics investigating the change in markers of target inhibition
Characterising the pharmacodynamics (PD) profile of tepotinib in combination with pembrolizumab. Determination of changes in markers of target inhibition and immune microenvironment in tumour and blood including T-cell subsets and PD-L1. Analysis will be conducted using the fluorescence activated cell sorting and multi-coloured immunofluorescence.
Time frame: 36 Months
Pharmacodynamics investigating the change in ctDNA
Characterising the change in circulating tumour DNA sequencing over trial period for emerging mechanisms of resistance. Determination of allele frequency of genomic aberrations including but not limited to MET, EGFR, BRAF and KRAS in plasma. ctDNA samples will be taken on Day 1 of every cycle.
Time frame: 36 Months
Overall survival
Progression-free survival defined as time from cycle 1 day 1 (C1D1) to progressive disease according to iRECIST or death from any cause. The progression-free survival time of patients still alive and progression-free will be censored on the date of their last RECIST assessment. Overall survival defined as time from C1D1 to death from any cause. Survival time of living patients will be censored on the last date of patient is known to be alive or lost to follow up. Overall survival defined as time from C1D1 to death from any cause. Survival time of living patients will be censored on the last date of patient is known to be alive or lost to follow up.
Time frame: 24 Months
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