Canakinumab in addition to pembrolizumab and platinum-based chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)


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Therapeutic Areas: Lung and Respiratory Cancer
Year: 2021

Canakinumab in addition to pembrolizumab and platinum-based chemotherapy is in clinical development for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the UK, 85% of lung cancers are NSCLC. Advanced cancers can be locally advanced or metastatic. Locally advanced (stage III) is cancer that has grown outside the body part it started in but has not yet spread to other parts of the body. Metastatic cancers (stage IV) have spread from where they started to other parts of the body.
Canakinumab will be given as a solution for injection in pre-filled syringe. Canakinumab works by stopping inflammation by blocking interleukin‑1 beta (IL1beta). This reduced the incidence and mortality due to lung cancer among patients with atherosclerosis in the CANTOS trial, where lung cancer incidence and mortality were secondary endpoints. Pembrolizumab is a type of immunotherapy delivered intravenously that stimulates the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. Canakinumab in combination with pembrolizumab and platinum-based chemotherapy may offer a first-line treatment option for NSCLC patients.