Dr. Hamid on Epacadostat Plus Pembrolizumab in Advanced Melanoma

Omid Hamid, MD, director of the melanoma center at the Angeles Clinic & Research Institute in Los Angeles, discusses the phase I/II results of the ECHO-202/KEYNOTE-037 trial, which explored the IDO inhibitor epacadostat plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with advanced melanoma.

This was consistent with the initial results of the phase I trial, which demonstrated an overall response rate at around 55%, a disease control rate of about 70%, and an 18-month progression-free survival rate at more than 50%. Additionally, this was a very tolerable regimen that was not associated with significant toxicities.

This is important because prior combination therapies have shown similarly high response rates, but are linked with significant grade 3/4 toxicities—usually at 50%. Whereas, this combination showed grade 3/4 events at around 20% and a less than 10% grade 3/4 immune-related toxicities. This is a regimen that, if it shows benefit, then it is very translatable into the community, Hamid says. The phase III trial is currently ongoing, he concludes.

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