Survival time for advanced melanoma significantly extended! New data on Relatlimab + Nivolumab dual immunotherapy released.
Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of melanoma patients, but new combinations that include other immune targets are still needed to further improve treatment results. Recently, the results of the Phase 3 RELATIVITY-047 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the combination therapy of Relatlimab+Nivolumab, two drugs that target different proteins on the T cells of the immune system, significantly controlled advanced melanoma for longer than using one of the drugs alone.
Lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) and programmed death 1 (PD-1) are distinct suppressive immune checkpoints that contribute to T cell exhaustion. Both nivolumab and relatlimab are antibody drugs. They target different proteins on T cells to restore and revitalize the cells' natural attack on tumor cells. Nivolumab targets PD-1, a checkpoint protein that prompts T cells to cease attack when it binds to its corresponding protein on tumor cells. Relatlimab targets the protein LAG-3, an immune checkpoint receptor protein whose function is to control T cell responses, activation, and growth. The combination therapy of relatlimab and nivolumab has been shown to be safe and has antitumor activity in previously treated melanoma patients.
Latest treatment data of Relatlimab+Nivolumab
The RELATIVITY trial involved 714 patients AND was the first study to demonstrate clinically significant benefits by simultaneously inhibiting the LAG-3 and PD-1 pathways. In the RELATIVITY study, the RESEARCHERS compared the effectiveness of the drug Nivolumab itself with the LAG-3 blocking antibodies Relatlimab and Nivolumab as a FIXED-dose combination therapy.
The median progression-free survival (the time without disease progression) for trial participants receiving Relatlimab plus Nivolumab as initial treatment was 10.1 months, compared to 4.6 months for those receiving Nivolumab alone. After 12 months of treatment, 47.7% of patients receiving the dual therapy regimen were disease-free, compared to only 36% of those receiving Nivolumab alone. Side effects of the combination therapy were generally manageable. Further evaluation of patient survival and long-term benefit in the RELATIVITY study is ongoing.
According to the researchers, in pre-specified subgroups, progression-free survival also showed a benefit relative to nivolumab. Patients with characteristics typically associated with poor prognosis, such as visceral metastases, high tumor burden, elevated serum LDH levels, or mucosal or sharp melanoma, had better outcomes with Relatlimab plus nivolumab than with nivolumab alone.
Reminder: The latest research data show that inhibiting two immune checkpoints (LAG-3 and PD-1) has a greater benefit for the progression-free survival of previously untreated metastatic or non-resectable melanoma patients than inhibiting PD-1 alone. It is hoped that the therapy will obtain better trial results, be approved as soon as possible and be used clinically for the benefit of more patients.
