Clinical trial Phase 3 Interventional Ages 12 to 75

A Study of Penpulimab (AK105) in the First-line Treatment of Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Run by Akeso · NCT04974398 · Data updated 2026-11-12

Fully enrolled, still running. This study is not taking new participants. Its registered completion date is 2026-02-23.

This study is a randomized, double-blind, multi-center phase III clinical study to compare the efficacy and safety of penpulimab combined with chemotherapy and placebo combined with chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Quick facts

PhasePhase 3
Study typeInterventional
Ages12 Years to 75 Years
SexAll
Enrollment296 (actual)
SponsorAkeso
Industry-sponsored
Drugs / interventionsPenpulimab, placebo
Locations56 sites (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, United States)
Trial IDNCT04974398 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Voluntarily signed written Informed Consent Form(ICF).
* Main study: Age of ≥ 18 years and ≤ 75 years at the time of enrollment.
* Substudy: Age of ≥ 12 years and \< 18 years. Weight≥ 35KG.
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1.
* Expected survival of ≥ 3 months.
* Histologically or cytologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
* Subjects with primary metastatic (nasopharyngeal carcinoma, stage IVB defined by the Union for International Cancer Control and the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging System edition 8) nasopharyngeal carcinoma who are not suitable for local treatment or radical treatment; subjects who have a local-regional recurrence and/or distant metastasis more than 6 months after the completion of prior radical treatment (radiotherapy with induction, concurrent, adjuvant chemotherapy); No systemic treatment has been received for recurrent or metastatic diseases, not amendable to local treatment or have received local treatment for the local-regional recurrent disease
* At least one measurable lesion according to RECIST v1.1;
* Has adequate organ function.
* All female and male subjects of reproductive potential must agree to use an effective method of contraception, as determined by the Investigator, during and for 150 days after the last dose of study treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Subjects with pathologically diagnosed nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma or sarcoma.
* Subjects have had another malignancy within 3 years before the first dose, except nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Subjects with other malignancies that have been cured by local therapy such as basal or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, superficial bladder cancer, cervix or breast carcinoma in situ are not excluded.
* Participation in treatment with an investigational drug or use of an investigational device within 4 weeks before first study dosing.
* Have previously received immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, immune checkpoint agonists , immune cell therapy, and other treatments against tumor immune mechanism.
* Active autoimmune disease requiring systemic treatment within 2 years prior to initial administration, or as an autoimmune disease that can recur or for which treatment is planned determined by the investigator.
* Active or past history of definite inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis).
* History of immunodeficiency; those who test positive for HIV antibody; current chronic use of systemic corticosteroids or immunosuppressive agents.
* Known active tuberculosis (TB) (suspected of having active TB need to undergo clinical examination for exclusion of such possibility); known active syphilis infection.
* Known history of allotransplantation and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
* Has known active Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.
* Active or untreated CNS metastases.
* Subjects with peripheral neuropathy.
* Unresolved toxicity from prior anti-tumor therapy, defined as toxicity that has not recovered .
* Received a live vaccine within 30 days before the first dose or planned to receive a live vaccine during the study.
* Known allergy to any study drug component; known history of serious hypersensitivity to other monoclonal antibodies.
* Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women.

Where it's running

  • City of Hope
    Duarte, California, United States
  • Winship Cancer Institute/Emory University
    Atlanta, Georgia, United States
  • University of Michigan
    Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
    New York, New York, United States
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
    New York, New York, United States
  • Chris O'Brien Lifehouse
    Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
Show 44 more locations
  • St Vincent's Public Hospital Sydney
    Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
  • Genesis Care North Shore
    St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
  • Sir Charles Gardner
    Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
  • Austin Health
    Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
  • Hospital de Câncer de Barretos - Fundação Pio XII
    Barretos, Reg1, Brazil
  • Grupo Oncoclínicas
    Botafogo, Reg1, Brazil
  • Hospital Bruno Born
    Lajeado, Reg1, Brazil
  • Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceicao
    Porto Alegre, Reg1, Brazil
  • Centro de Estudos e Pesquisa de Hematologia
    Santo André, Reg1, Brazil
  • Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo (ICESP)
    São Paulo, Reg1, Brazil
  • Centro de Câncer A. C. Camargo
    São Paulo, Reg1, Brazil
  • Alberta Health Services (Tom Baker Cancer Centre)
    Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • Toronto Sunnybrook Hospital
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University
    Hefei, Anhui, China
  • Fujian Cancer Hospital
    Fuzhou, Fujian, China
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University
    Xiamen, Fujian, China
  • Dongguan People's Hospital
    Dongguan, Guangdong, China
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • Guangzhou Panyu Central Hospital
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  • Jiangmen Central Hospital
    Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
  • Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College
    Shantou, Guangdong, China
  • Shenzhen People's Hospital
    Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
  • Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University
    Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China
  • The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
    Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
  • Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University
    Guilin, Guangxi, China
  • The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
    Nanning, Guangxi, China
  • Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital
    Nanning, Guangxi, China
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
    Nanning, Guangxi, China
  • Guizhou Cancer Hospital
    Guiyang, Guizhou, China
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University
    Haikou, Hainan, China
  • Hainan General Hospital
    Haikou, Hainan, China
  • Hubei Cancer Hospital
    Wuhan, Hubei, China
  • The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
    Changsha, Hunan, China
  • Hunan Cancer Hospital
    Changsha, Hunan, China
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China
    Hengyang, Hunan, China
  • The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University
    Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
  • Jiangxi Cancer Hospital
    Nanchang, Jiangxi, China

+6 more sites. See ClinicalTrials.gov for the full list.

Study contacts

  • Principal investigator: Chaosu Hu, MD — Fudan University

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How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
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Last reviewed 2026-11-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.