New drug cocktail aims to outdo chemo for tough throat cancer
NCT ID NCT06976190
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This Phase 3 trial tests whether combining two drugs, MRG003 and pucotenlimab, works better than standard chemotherapy for people with nasopharyngeal cancer that has returned or spread. About 446 participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the new combo or one of three chemo drugs. The main goals are to see if the combo delays cancer growth and improves overall survival.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- MRG003 and pucotenlimab (drug combination)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this combination could offer a new treatment option for people with nasopharyngeal cancer that has come back or spread, potentially improving survival compared to standard chemotherapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage Phase 3 trial, so results are not yet known. The combination may not work better than chemotherapy and could have side effects like immune-related reactions or infusion reactions.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 446 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Willing to sign the informed consent form and follow the requirements specified in the protocol. * Life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks. * Patients with histologically and cytologically confirmed recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who have failed at least one line of prior systemic therapy. * Patients must have at least one measurable lesion according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST v1.1). * The score of ECOG for performance status is 0 or 1. * No severe cardiac dysfunction, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥50%. * Organ functions and coagulation function must meet the basic requirements. * Patients with childbearing potential must use effective contraception during the treatment and for 6 months after the last dose of treatment. Exclusion Criteria: * History of hypersensitivity to any component of the investigational product. * Received systemic chemotherapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy or immunotherapy for anti-tumor purpose, or major surgery within 3 weeks prior to the first dose of study treatment. * Received anti-infection therapy within 2 weeks prior to the randomization * Prior treatment with MMAE/MMAF ADC drugs * Central nervous system metastasis. * Poorly controlled systemic diseases * Patients with poorly controlled heart diseases * Poorly controlled pleural and peritoneal effusion or pericardial effusion * ≥Grade 2 toxic reaction or abnormal value of laboratory test caused by previous anti-tumor treatment * Patients with prior ≥Grade 3 immuno-related adverse events (irAEs) * Any clinically significant arteriovenous bleeding, pulmonary embolism, or deep venous thrombosis occurred within 3 months * Received allogeneic tissue/solid organ transplantation. * Inoculate live vaccine within 30 days before the first dose. * Patients with a positive serum pregnancy test or who are breast-feeding or who do not agree to take adequate contraceptive measures during the treatment and for 180 days after the last dose of study treatment. * History of other primary malignant tumor diseases. * Other situations that are not suitable to participate a clinical trial per investigator's judgement
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
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Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
RECRUITINGGuangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- New drug combo targets Hard-to-Treat nasopharyngeal cancer
- New hope for tough nasopharyngeal cancer: Triple-Drug combo trial launches
- Two-Antibody combo takes on advanced cancers
- New drug shows promise for Hard-to-Treat throat cancer
- New cocktail of drugs shows promise for Hard-to-Treat throat cancer
- New hope for advanced nose and throat cancer with combo therapy