Trodelvy plus Keytruda combo shows positive activity in first-line metastatic NSCLC

Promising early data from the global, open-label, Phase II EVOKE-02 study evaluating US biotech Gilead Sciences’ (Nasdaq: GILD) Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) in combination with Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) with or without platinum agents in patients with previously untreated advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without actionable genomic alterations have been released at the IASLC 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer.

The preliminary analysis of the EVOKE-02 study includes results of two cohorts: Trodelvy in combination with Keytruda in first-line advanced or metastatic squamous/non-squamous NSCLC with PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥ 50% (Cohort A) and TPS < 50% (Cohort B).

In Cohort A (n=29), confirmed and unconfirmed objective response rate (ORR) was 69%, and disease control rate (DCR) was 86%. In Cohort B (n=32), confirmed and unconfirmed ORR was 44%, and DCR was 78%. Across both cohorts, the ORR was 56%, and DCR was 82%. Median duration of response (DoR) was not reached at the time of data cut-off, and DoR rate at six months was 88% in both cohorts.