Core Insights - TuHURA Biosciences is advancing its Phase 3 trial of IFx-Hu2.0 as an adjunctive therapy with Keytruda® for patients with advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) [1][2][4] - The trial is designed under the FDA's Accelerated Approval Pathway and Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement, aiming to address primary resistance to checkpoint inhibitors [1][3][4] Company Overview - TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. is focused on developing novel technologies to overcome resistance to cancer immunotherapy, particularly in the context of MCC [5][6] - The company’s lead product, IFx-Hu2.0, is an innate immune agonist intended to activate the immune response in patients who do not respond to existing checkpoint inhibitor therapies [3][6] Trial Design and Objectives - The Phase 3 trial will evaluate IFx-Hu2.0 (0.1 mg) administered weekly for three weeks alongside pembrolizumab (200 mg) every three weeks, compared to pembrolizumab plus placebo [4] - The trial aims to enroll 118 CPI-naïve patients across approximately 22 to 25 U.S. sites, with primary endpoints focusing on overall response rate (ORR) and secondary endpoints including progression-free survival (PFS) and safety [4] Clinical Background - Merkel cell carcinoma is characterized as a rare and aggressive tumor type, with poor survival rates for patients who do not respond to first-line checkpoint inhibitor therapy [3] - Previous Phase 1b trials indicated that IFx-Hu2.0 could achieve an overall response rate of 63% in patients who progressed on pembrolizumab or avelumab, with response durations ranging from 6 to 33 months [3]
TuHURA Biosciences Presents IFx-Hu2.0 Trial-in-Progress Poster at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting