The company reported positive results with ANKTIVA, which boosted immune function and improved survival in NSCLC when combined with checkpoint inhibitors.
- The company said that responding patients lived longer overall, with a median survival of 16.2 months.
- The data come from two clinical trials, evaluating 151 patients across first-line and later-line treatment settings.
- ImmunityBio is now advancing its Phase 3 trial, it said.
ImmunityBio Inc. (IBRX) stock caught retail attention on Tuesday after the company reported positive clinical results showing its immunotherapy ANKTIVA significantly boosts immune function and improves survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients when combined with checkpoint inhibitors.
The data come from two clinical trials, QUILT-2.023 and QUILT-3.055, evaluating 151 patients across first-line and later-line treatment settings.
IBRX shares were up 12.4% at the time of writing. Retail chatter increased to ‘high’ on Stocktwits while sentiment shifted to ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bullish’ a day earlier.
One bullish user expects the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) to approve ANKTIVA for NSCLC and expand access broadly.
Another user sees the benefits of a non-chemotherapy treatment.
Outcome Of The Trials
In the first-line QUILT-2.023 study, patients receiving ANKTIVA plus a checkpoint inhibitor showed a statistically significant and sustained increase in absolute lymphocyte count (small white blood cell) compared with checkpoint inhibitor therapy alone. In the second- and later-line QUILT-3.055 study, 77% of patients maintained or restored healthy lymphocyte levels, showing ANKTIVA’s role as a lymphocyte-stimulating agent.
The company said that responding patients lived longer overall, with a median survival of 16.2 months, while those with stronger immune recovery had a median survival of 21.1 months, far exceeding historical results with standard chemotherapy.
ImmunityBio is now advancing its Phase 3 trial, comparing ANKTIVA plus checkpoint inhibitors to docetaxel in second-line NSCLC, it added.
“The results from these studies support a potential paradigm shift toward what we define as Immunotherapy 2.0, which is the coordinated activation of the innate immune system through natural killer cells and the adaptive immune system through T cells to restore immune competence and extend survival,” said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Founder, Executive Chairman, and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of ImmunityBio.
Over the past year, IBRX shares have gained more than 20%.
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