Phase 3 Study of Camrelizumab/Rivoceranib Improves Survival vs Sorafenib in HCC

Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa, MD, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the data from a phase 3 trial (NCT03764293) evaluating camrelizumab (AiRuiK) and rivoceranib (Cyramza) vs sorafenib (Nexavar) in the first-line for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

In the trial, patients with advanced HCC were administered either intravenous camrelizumab at a dose of 200 mg plus rivoceranib orally at 250 mg or oral sorafenib at 0.2 g. The primary end points of the trial included overall survival and progression-free survival with additional end points consisting of time to progression, objective response rate, disease control rate, duration of response, incidence and severity of adverse events, and more.

According to findings, this study was positive. Improvements in survival were seen with the combination of camrelizumab and rivoceranib at 22 months vs 15 months for those treated with sorafenib.

Transcription:

0:08 | Camrelizumab and rivoceranib is again, an anti-PD1 plus anti-VEGF, which was evaluated vs sorafenib. This study was positive, showing a clear improvement in survival in favor of the combination therapy of camrelizumab plus rivoceranib at 22 months vs sorafenib at 15 months. What's going on over here? Lenvatinib is 19 months and here, sorafenib is at 15. I think the 15 months with sorafenib has already been reported in studies, and this is just how much it can do. Could it be that the anti-MGF of the lenvatinib favors its improved survival in LEAP-002? Time will tell.

0:57 | Importantly in the camrelizumab and rivoceranib study, it is also important to recall that the patients with hepatitis B were the majority. About 75% of the patients were those with hepatitis B, which is expected with the study running mainly in Asia, specifically in China.

1:16 | It was a positive study, and we are excited about the drugs. We don't have as much experience in regard to those drugs in the Western Hemisphere, but there will definitely be further input into guiding us and defining the role of that therapy. But at the same time, it's going to pose a little bit of a question about the comparator arm, as we just heard, even though I will still say legit comparator on per se.