Using Dupilumab and Anakinra for advanced lung cancer treatment

A Phase 1b/2 Trial of Dupilumab Given in Conjunction with PD-1 or PD-L1 Blockade and Anakinra in the Treatment of Relapsed/refractory Metastatic NSCLC

This study is testing if combining two medications, Dupilumab and Anakinra, with existing lung cancer treatments can help people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer feel better and improve their outcomes.

Quick facts

• Phase: Phase1; Phase2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 21 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Academic / other)
• Drugs / interventions: dupilumab, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, prednisone
• Locations: 2 sites (New York, New York and 1 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT05013450 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This clinical trial evaluates the safety and tolerability of Dupilumab and Anakinra in combination with PD-(L)1 blockade for patients with relapsed or refractory metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It involves a multi-cohort, sequential enrollment approach, where Phase 1 focuses on safety, and Phase 2 assesses the efficacy of adding IL-4Ra and IL-1R blockade to existing PD-(L)1 therapies. Patients will undergo biopsies and blood sample collection to monitor treatment effects and safety.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are patients with a confirmed diagnosis of metastatic NSCLC who have progressed on prior PD-(L)1 therapies.

Not a fit: Patients who have not received prior PD-(L)1 therapy or those with other types of lung cancer 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 lung cancer who have not responded to previous therapies.

How similar studies have performed: Other studies have shown promise with similar immunotherapy approaches, indicating potential for success in this novel combination.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients must have a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of NSCLC
* Patients must have progressed (clinically or radiographically) on or following prior therapy with a PD-1 or PD-L1 targeted antibody
* Patients may have only 0 or 1 intervening lines of therapy from the prior PD-(L)1 blocking therapy
* Patient must be willing and able to provide blood samples (12 green-top tubes, roughly 100mL) at the time points indicated in the Study Calendar.
* Patient must be willing and able to have core needle biopsies, or forceps biopsies if clinically feasible by (Goal 3-6 biopsies, final number to be determined by the interventionalist performing the procedure as safe) of tumor prior to initiation of dupilumab and at the on-treatment time point. Should patients undergo pre-treatment or on-treatment biopsy procedure, and inadequate number of biopsies are obtained, they may proceed with initiation/continuation of treatment at the discretion of the investigator and treating physician
* Age ≥ 18 years.
* ECOG 0-2. The exception will be patients carrying long term disability (such as cerebral palsy) where the disability is not acute nor progressive, and unlikely to significantly affect their response to therapy.
* Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation, and for 3 months following completion of therapy. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately. A female of child-bearing potential is any woman (regardless of sexual orientation, having undergone a tubal ligation, or remaining celibate by choice) who meets the following criteria:
* Has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or
* Has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 12 consecutive months
* Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who have had chemotherapy within 14 days from start of therapy.
* Palliative radiotherapy is permitted at any time, if deemed in the best interest of the patient.
* Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection requiring antibiotics (exception is a brief (≤10days) course of antibiotics to be completed before initiation of treatment), symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
* Patients must not be pregnant or nursing due to the potential for congenital abnormalities and the potential of this regimen to harm nursing infants.
* Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment. Patients on chronic steroids (more than 4 weeks at stable dose) equivalent to ≤ 10mg prednisone will not be excluded.
* Has active autoimmune disease that has required systemic treatment in the past 1 year (i.e. with use of disease modifying agents, corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs). Replacement therapy (e.g. thyroxine, insulin, or physiologic corticosteroid replacement therapy for adrenal or pituitary insufficiency, etc.) is acceptable.
* Has a history or current evidence of any condition, therapy, or laboratory abnormality that might confound the results of the trial, interfere with the patient's participation for the full duration of the trial, or is not in the best interest of the patient to participate, in the opinion of the treating Investigator.
* HIV positive with detectable viral load, or anyone not on stable anti-viral (HAART) regimen, or with \<350 CD4+ T cells/microliter in the peripheral blood. HIV testing is not required for patients with no known history of HIV.
* Has known active Hepatitis B (e.g., HBV detected by PCR or active Hepatitis C (e.g., HCV RNA \[qualitative\] is detected). Patients with hepatitis B (HepBsAg+) who have controlled infection (serum hepatitis B virus DNA PCR that is below the limit of detection AND receiving anti-viral therapy for hepatitis B) are permitted. Patients with controlled infections must undergo periodic monitoring of HBV DNA. Patients must remain on anti-viral therapy for at least 6 months beyond the last dose of investigational study drug.
* History of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation or solid organ transplantation.
* Receipt of a live vaccine within 30 days of planned start of study medication
* Documented allergic or hypersensitivity response to any protein therapeutics (e.g., recombinant proteins, vaccines, intravenous immune globulins, monoclonal antibodies, receptor traps)Principle investigator believes that for one or multiple reasons the patient will be unable to comply with all study visits, or if they believe the trial is not clinically in the best interest of the patient.
* History of irAE in response to prior immunotherapy that has not improved to a Grade 0 or 1; this does not include chronic conditions such as endocrinopathies which can be treated with hormone replacement therapy
* History of interstitial lung disease (e.g., idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, organizing pneumonia) or active, noninfectious pneumonitis attributed to prior use of cancer immunotherapy that required immune-suppressive doses of glucocorticoids to assist with management. A history of radiation pneumonitis in the radiation field is permitted.
* Patient has received Anakinra in the last 12 months (Cohort B).

Where this trial is running

New York, New York and 1 other locations

• Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital — New York, New York, United States (Recruiting)
• The Blavatnik Family-Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai — New York, New York, United States (Withdrawn)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Thomas Marron, MD, PhD — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Study coordinator: Thomas Marron, MD PhD

Conditions Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer