New bladder cancer cocktail aims to spare patients from surgery
NCT ID NCT06829823
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial tests whether a drug called N-803, combined with either BCG or gemcitabine, can treat intermediate-risk bladder cancer without needing surgery. About 20 adults with low-grade papillary tumors will receive the drugs directly into the bladder. The main goal is to see if the cancer disappears by 3 or 6 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- N-803 (a drug that boosts the immune system) combined with either BCG (a weakened bacteria used in immunotherapy) or gemcitabine (a chemotherapy drug)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a way to treat intermediate-risk bladder cancer without surgery, using a combination of immune-boosting and standard therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 20 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The treatments may cause side effects or fail to control the cancer long-term.
Why investors are watching
ImmunityBio is testing its drug N-803, given directly into the bladder, alongside either BCG or gemcitabine, in 20 patients with intermediate-risk papillary bladder cancer. The goal is to see if these combinations can control the disease without surgery, which would be a major step for a small company that depends on a few key products. A clear result in this small phase 2 study could shape the company's future pipeline and market position.
If it works: If the trial shows that N-803 plus either drug clears the cancer in most patients, ImmunityBio could have a new, non-surgical treatment option for a common bladder cancer type. That positive data might support larger studies and broaden the company's commercial potential.
If it fails: If the combinations fail to control the disease or cause safety problems, ImmunityBio would face a setback in its development plans. Trials at this stage often fail, and a negative result could hurt the company's credibility and delay any path to market.
AI-written from the trial record. Speculative, and not investment advice.
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 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Nov 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2029
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 years and older
- 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: * Age ≥ 18 years. * Low-grade (LG) Ta papillary disease as determined by Investigator. * History of LG NMIBC requiring treatment with transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT). Note: This refers to a previous episode(s) and not to the current episode for which the participant is being screened. Any presence of variant histology, or LVI should be deemed high-risk. * Negative voiding cytology for HG disease within 12 weeks prior to screening. * Intermediate-risk disease, defined as having 1 or 2 of the following: 1. Presence of \>1 and \< 5 tumors; 2. Solitary tumor \< 3 cm; 3. Early or frequent recurrence (≥ 1 occurrence of LG NMIBC within 1 year of the current diagnosis at the initial screening visit). * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0 to 2. * Voluntary written informed consent and HIPAA authorization and agreement to comply with all protocol-specified procedures and follow-up evaluations. Exclusion Criteria: * Received BCG treatment for urothelial carcinoma. * History of HG bladder cancer (papillary or CIS) in the past 2 years. * Clinically significant urethral stricture that would preclude passage of a urethral catheter. * Life expectancy \< 2 years. * Any of the following clinical laboratory values at the time of enrollment: 1. Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) \> institutional lower limit of normal (LLN) 2. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \< 800/μL 3. Platelets \< 50,000/μL 4. Aspartate aminotransferase \[AST\] or alanine aminotransferase \[ALT\]) \> 2 × upper limit of normal (ULN). 5. Creatinine level \> 3 × ULN. Note: Each study site should use its institutional LLN/ULN to determine eligibility. * History of or evidence of muscle-invasive, locally advanced, metastatic and/or extravesical bladder cancer (inclusive of the prostatic urethra); or any other cancer within the past 5 years that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions are adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer; adequately treated stage I or II cancer or stable prostate cancer from which the participant is currently in complete remission, and is under active surveillance or hormone control; or any other cancer that investigator feels is stable with permission of Medical Monitor. * Suspicion of active upper tract urothelial malignancy. * Currently receiving investigational or commercial anticancer agents or anticancer therapies other than BCG, N-803, and supportive care therapies for active disease. * Symptomatic congestive heart failure (CHF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV heart failure, or other clinical signs of severe cardiac dysfunction. * Severe/unstable angina pectoris, or myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to study entry. * History or evidence of uncontrollable central nervous system \[CNS\] disease. * Active systemic infection requiring parenteral antibiotic therapy. All prior infections must have resolved following optimal therapy. * Concurrent febrile illness, active urinary tract infection, active tuberculosis, a history of hypotension or anaphylactic reactions. * Ongoing chronic systemic steroid therapy required (\>10 mg oral prednisone daily or equivalent). * Women who are pregnant or nursing. Female participants of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test and must adhere to using a medically acceptable method of birth control prior to screening and agree to continue its use during the study and for 7 months after the last dose of study drug, or be surgically sterilized (eg, hysterectomy or tubal ligation). Women of childbearing potential are defined as any female who has experienced menarche and who is NOT permanently sterile or postmenopausal. Postmenopausal is defined as 12 consecutive months with no menses without an alternative medical cause. Males must agree to use barrier methods of birth control while on study and for 90 days post last dose of study drug. * Other illness or condition, including laboratory abnormalities, which in the opinion of the Investigator would exclude the participant from participating in this study. This includes, but is not limited to, serious medical conditions or psychiatric illness likely to interfere with participation in the study.
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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 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.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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