In oncology news, the FDA granted approval to a new treatment for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who harbor a MET exon 14 skipping mutation and also granted an Orphan Drug Designation to a novel liver-targeted drug for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among other news, data were shared from a phase I/II trial in mesothelioma and from the safety run-in portion of the phase II CANOPY-1 trial in patients with metastatic or advanced NSCLC.

These updates and others were trending this week:

FDA Approves Capmatinib in MET Exon 14+ Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

On May 6, 2020, the FDA granted approval to capmatinib (Tabrecta) for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic NSCLC whose tumors have a mutation that leads to MET exon 14 skipping as detected by an FDA-approved test, based on findings from the GEOMETRY mono-I trial.

Canakinumab Plus Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy Appears Safe in Advanced NSCLC

Dose-limiting toxicities were minimal with the combination of canakinumab plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda), and platinum-based doublet chemotherapy in patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC who were treated in the safety run-in portion of the phase II CANOPY-1 study. Based on these findings, the 200 mg dose of canakinumab administered subcutaneously every 3 weeks will be used in the next phase of the trial.

FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to First Liver-Targeted Drug for HCC

MIV-818 was granted an Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA for the treatment of patients with HCC on May 6, 2020. The agent is currently under investigation in a 2-part phase I/IIa study.

Acalabrutinib May Be A Safer Alternative to Ibrutinib in CLL

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Lori A. Leslie, MD, discussed the importance of analyzing treatment outcomes in real-world patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia compared with only reviewing data from clinical trials that do not represent all patients seen in the community setting.

Mesothelioma Tumors Respond to ONCOS-102 Plus Pemetrexed and Cisplatin

Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma in a phase I/II trial who received ONCOS-102 added to standard of care pemetrexed- and cisplatin-based chemotherapy in the first-, second-, and later-line settings showed a progression-free survival after 9 months of follow-up that was consistent with previously published data.

Immunotherapy Advances the Treatment Landscape of Endometrial Cancers

Shannon N. Westin, MD, MPH, FACOG, discussed the evolving role of immunotherapy as treatment of patients with endometrial cancer.

Targeting CD19 in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Experts in the management of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma discuss the use of novel CD19-antibody mono- and combination therapies to treat relapsed/refractory subpopulations.

Special Feature: COVID-19 Update

Leronlimab Shows Further Promise for COVID-19 Treatment, Study Shows

A cohort of 10 critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) received more effective immune response after leronlimab (PRO 140) treatment compared with healthy controls. To disseminate results that can inform the public health in response to COVID-19, CytoDyn announced the publication of their findings in a pre-print manuscript, which has been submitted for publication and is currently under peer review.