Positive Phase III results for Kelun-Biotech’s sacituzumab tirumotecan

China’s Kelun-Biotech (6990: HK) reported that the Phase III clinical study (OptiTROP-Lung06) of its trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2)-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC) sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT) in combination with Merck & Co’s (NYSE: MRK) anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) has met its primary endpoint of progression‑free survival (PFS) at a prespecified interim analysis.

The company noted that this is the world's first Phase III clinical study of an ADC combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor to meet its primary endpoint in the first-line treatment of driver gene‑negative and PD‑L1‑negative non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).