Intratumoral oncolytic virus V937 plus ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma: the phase 1b MITCI study.

Background: Intratumoral administration of V937, a bioselected, genetically unmodified coxsackievirus A21, has previously demonstrated antitumor activity in patients with advanced melanoma as monotherapy and in combination with the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) antibody pembrolizumab. We report results from an open-label, single-arm, phase 1b study (NCT02307149) evaluating V937 plus the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 inhibitor ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma.
Methods: Adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with histologically confirmed metastatic or unresectable stage IIIB/C or IV melanoma received intratumoral V937 on days 1, 3, 5, 8, and 22 and every 3 weeks (Q3W) thereafter for up to 19 sets of injections plus intravenous ipilimumab 3 mg/kg Q3W administered for four doses starting on day 22. Imaging was performed at screening, on days 43 and 106 and every 6 weeks thereafter; response was assessed by immune-related response criteria per investigator assessment. Primary endpoints were safety in all treated patients and objective response rate (ORR) in all treated patients and in patients with disease that progressed on prior anti-PD-1 therapy.
Results: Fifty patients were enrolled and treated. ORR was 30% (95% CI 18% to 45%) among all treated patients, 47% (95% CI 23% to 72%) among patients who had not received prior anti-PD-1 therapy, and 21% (95% CI 9% to 39%) among patients who had experienced disease progression on prior anti-PD-1 therapy. Tumor regression occurred in injected and non-injected lesions. Median immune-related progression-free survival was 6.2 months (95% CI 3.5 to 9.0 months), and median overall survival was 45.1 months (95% CI 28.3 months to not reached). The most common treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were pruritus (n=25, 50%), fatigue (n=22, 44%), and diarrhea (n=16, 32%). There were no V937-related dose-limiting toxicities and no treatment-related grade 5 AEs. Treatment-related grade 3 or 4 AEs, all of which were considered related to ipilimumab, occurred in 14% of patients (most commonly dehydration, diarrhea, and hepatotoxicity in 4% each).
Conclusions: Responses associated with intratumoral V937 plus ipilimumab were robust, including in the subgroup of patients who had experienced disease progression on prior anti-PD-1 therapy. Toxicities were manageable and consistent with those of the individual monotherapies.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: BDC: data safety monitoring board for Merck; institutional funding from Bristol Myers Squibb and Viralytics; honoraria from Cullinan Oncology, Nektar Therapeutics, and Clinigen. JR: none. JRH: institutional funding from Merck, BMS, Takara, and Amgen; advisory boards for BMS/Nektar Therapeutics. GAD: none. MF: advisory boards for Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Nektar, Sanofi, and Array Biopharma. LF: none. KAM: consultant for ImaginAb, Oncosec, Werewolf, Xilio, Instil, IOvance, and Checkmate Pharmaceuticals; institutional funding from Merck, BMS, Roche, BioNTech, Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, IO Biotech, Regeneron, and Agenus. SH: none. MG: consultant/independent contractor (contracted directly by Viralytics). YZ and AL: employees of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co, Inc, Rahway, New Jersey, USA and stockholders in Merck & Co, Inc, Rahway, New Jersey, USA. RHIA: institutional research funding from Viralytics; in the past 3 years, employee of Seven and Eight Biopharmaceuticals Inc.
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