Treatment for advanced solid tumors using Ixovex-1 and Pembrolizumab

A Phase I/II Open-label, Clinical Trial of Intratumoural Ixovex-1 as Single Agent Therapy or in Combination With Pembrolizumab in Palpable Solid Tumours

This study is testing a new treatment using a virus and an existing cancer drug to see if it can help people with advanced solid tumors that can't be removed by surgery.

Quick facts

• Phase: Phase1; Phase2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 18 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Psivac Ltd (Industry-sponsored)
• Drugs / interventions: Pembrolizumab, chemotherapy, prednisone, immunotherapy
• Locations: 1 site (London)
• Trial ID: NCT06549946 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This clinical trial evaluates the safety and efficacy of Ixovex-1, an oncolytic virus, administered through intratumoral injections in patients with advanced solid tumors that are unresectable or metastatic. The study is structured in three phases: Phase Ia focuses on determining the maximum tolerated dose of Ixovex-1, Phase Ib assesses the combination of Ixovex-1 with Pembrolizumab to find the recommended phase 2 dose, and Phase II evaluates the efficacy of this combination in specific tumor types. The trial employs a dose de-escalation design and includes multiple treatment cycles over several weeks.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults aged 18 and older with injectable locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic solid tumors.

Not a fit: Patients with solid tumors that are resectable or those who have not exhausted other therapeutic options may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this treatment could provide a new therapeutic option for patients with advanced solid tumors who have exhausted other treatment options.

How similar studies have performed: Other studies using oncolytic viruses in combination with immunotherapy have shown promising results, suggesting potential for success in this approach.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Capable of giving signed informed consent, which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the informed consent form (ICF) and in this protocol. Have signed an informed consent indicating that the subject is aware of the neoplastic nature of their disease and have been informed of the procedures of the protocol, the experimental nature of the therapy, alternatives, potential benefits, side effects, risks, and discomforts.
2. Female or male subjects aged ≥18 years (local regulatory requirements should be followed if the legal age of consent for study participation is \>18 years old).
3. Subjects with injectable locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic solid tumours.
4. In Phase Ia and Phase Ib, all solid tumour types will be accepted.
5. For Phase II, all solid tumour types will be considered with an emphasis on cutaneous squamous cell cancers and head and neck cancers.
6. Subjects with at least 1 measurable tumour (per RECIST 1.1) cutaneous/subcutaneous/nodal tumour suitable for direct percutaneous injection. Subjects may have other sites of disease.
7. A minimum of one tumour with a diameter of greater than 1 cm as measured by ultrasound and/or clinical measurement.
8. All approved therapeutic options have been exhausted, are not available, are unlikely to have significant clinical benefit or have been declined by the subject.
9. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤1.
10. Life expectancy more than 6 months.
11. Pathologically documented, locally advanced, or metastatic solid malignancy.
12. Subject having laboratory values defined as:

    1. White blood cell counts greater than 3,000/mm3 OR absolute neutrophil counts greater than 1,500/mm3;
    2. Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm3;
    3. Haemoglobin greater than 9 g/dL (transfusions allowed if not used solely to meet eligibility criteria);
    4. Aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase less than 2.5 times ULN;
    5. Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times ULN;
    6. Creatinine clearance (Cockcroft-Gault formula) ≥50 mL/min.
13. Be willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, the treatment plan, imaging, and laboratory tests.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of overt leptomeningeal or active central nervous system (CNS) metastases, or CNS metastases that require local CNS-directed therapy (eg, radiotherapy or surgery) or increasing doses of corticosteroids within the prior 2 weeks. Subjects with treated brain metastases should be neurologically stable (for 4 weeks post treatment and prior to study enrolment) and off steroids for at least 2 weeks before administration of any study treatment.
2. Tumours involving a major blood vessel where tumour necrosis might endanger the subject.
3. Impaired cardiac function or clinically significant cardiac disease, including any of the following:

   1. Clinically significant and/or uncontrolled heart disease such as congestive heart failure requiring treatment (New York Heart Association Grade ≥2), left ventricular ejection fraction \<50% as determined by multiple gated acquisition (MUGA) or echocardiogram (ECHO), uncontrolled hypertension, or clinically significant arrhythmia.
   2. Acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris \<6 months prior to study entry.
4. Subjects with interstitial pneumonia or history of drug-induced interstitial pneumonia/pneumonitis.
5. Have an immune system disorder (known human immunodeficiency virus infection or hepatitis B or C).
6. Chronic liver disease or chronic hepatitis (Child-Pugh class B or C hepatic impairment).
7. Malignant disease, other than that being treated in this study. Exceptions to this exclusion include the following: malignancies that were treated curatively and have not recurred within 2 years prior to study treatment; completely resected basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers; any malignancy considered to be indolent and that has never required therapy; and completely resected carcinoma in situ of any type.
8. Subjects receiving systemic chronic steroid therapy or any immunosuppressive therapy (\>10 mg/day prednisone or equivalent). Topical, inhaled, nasal, and ophthalmic steroids are allowed.
9. Use of any live vaccines against infectious diseases within 4 weeks of initiation of study treatment.
10. Subjects with a history of stroke or having active neurological symptoms, with the exception of chronic conditions which, in the opinion of the neurologist, Investigator, and the Sponsor, would not impact ongoing neurologic assessments while on study treatment.
11. Active infection requiring systemic or antiviral or antibiotic therapy.
12. Subjects with active cytomegalovirus infection.
13. Prior therapy:

    1. Major surgery within 2 weeks of the first dose of study treatment (mediastinoscopy, insertion of a central venous access device, and insertion of a feeding tube are not considered major surgery).
    2. Did not recover from prior biologic therapy, endocrine therapy, or any prior diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
    3. Received prior chemotherapy within 21 days of C1D1.
    4. Previous treatment with oncolytic virotherapy.
14. Presence of CTCAE ≥ Grade 2 toxicity (except alopecia, peripheral neuropathy, and ototoxicity, which are excluded if ≥ CTCAE Grade 3) due to prior cancer therapy.
15. Participation in an interventional, investigational study within 4 weeks or 5 half-lives (whichever is shorter) of the first dose of study treatment.
16. Any medical condition that would, in the Investigator's judgement, prevent the subject's participation in the clinical study due to safety concerns, compliance with clinical study procedures, or interpretation of study results.
17. Pregnant or breastfeeding woman (pregnant or lactating women, where pregnancy is defined as the state of a female after conception and until the termination of gestation, confirmed by a positive human chorionic gonadotropin laboratory test). Female subjects of childbearing potential must agree to use highly effective contraception (during the study and for 6 months from last dose of Ixovex-1), must be surgically sterile, or must be postmenopausal. Male subjects must use a condom (during the study and for 6 months from last dose of Ixovex-1) or be surgically sterile. Additionally, female partners may be requested to use highly effective contraception as an additional safeguard. For Pembrolizumab, the manufacturer recommends contraception for women of childbearing age during treatment with Pembrolizumab and for 4 months post last treatment of Pembrolizumab. For Pembrolizumab, the manufacturer recommends contraception for male subjects during treatment with Pembrolizumab and for 4 months post last treatment of Pembrolizumab.
18. Known hypersensitivity to any component of Ixovex-1 or pembrolizumab (latter for Phase 1b and Phase 2 only).

Where this trial is running

London

• The Royal Marsden — London, United Kingdom (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Kevin Harrington — The Royal Marsden
• Study coordinator: Imad Mardini

Conditions Solid Tumor; Head and Neck Cancer