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New Two-Drug cocktail shows promise against tough cancers
NCT ID NCT04332653
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a combination of two drugs—NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda)—in 215 people with advanced solid tumors that had stopped responding to treatment. The goal was to check safety, find the right dose, and see if the combo could shrink tumors. The trial included several cancer types, such as lung, breast, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this combination could offer a new treatment option for several hard-to-treat cancers that have stopped responding to standard therapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase study (1b/2a) with a small number of participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drugs can cause serious side effects, and the combination may not work better than existing treatments.
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 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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215 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2020
- Finished
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Jan 2025
- 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: (Participants must meet all the following to be eligible) * Participants with histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced or metastatic solid tumors. * Have measurable disease per RECIST v1.1. * Participants enrolling in the Phase 1b, Arms I, IV, IVa, V, and Va of the Phase 2a, and the Biomarker Cohort OC must have biopsiable disease. * Female participants who are either postmenopausal for at least 1 year, are surgically sterile for at least 6 weeks; female participants of childbearing potential must agree to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or to use dual methods of contraception for the duration of study treatment and for 120 days after the last dose of study treatment (pembrolizumab and/or NT-I7). * Non-sterile male participants who are sexually active with female partners of childbearing potential must agree to remain abstinent (refrain from heterosexual intercourse) or to use highly effective method(s) of contraception for the duration of study treatment and for 120 days after the last dose of study treatment (pembrolizumab and/or NT-I7). * Meet the requirements for the intended stages and arms (disease specific inclusion criteria), as follows: Applicable to the Dose escalation phase (Phase 1b) only: (Biopsy Arm) * Relapsed/refractory advanced solid tumors. Applicable to the Dose expansion phase (Phase 2a) only: Anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 refractory criteria for CPI-treated TNBC, NSCLC, and SCLC * Has received at least 2 doses of an approved anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (mAb). * Has demonstrated disease progression after anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1. Specific to Arm I: CPI-treated R/R TNBC (Biopsy Arm) * Histopathologic or cytologic documented TNBC. * Received one or more prior therapies for TNBC in the advanced or metastatic setting, and prior treatment (for advanced, metastatic or (neo) adjuvant). Specific to Arm II: CPI-treated R/R NSCLC * Had prior treatment with CPI. Participants with estimated glomerular filtration rate (EGFR), BRAF, or c-ros oncogene 1(ROS1) mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocations are required to have received prior therapy with the appropriate tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Specific to Arm III: CPI-treated R/R SCLC * Recurrent extensive-stage SCLC; Received prior CPI therapy. Specific to Arm IV and IVa: CPI-naïve R/R MSS-CRC (Biopsy Arm) * MSS-CRC (categorized as MSS by immunohistochemistry(IHC) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). * Previously treated with standard therapies, which must include fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan; participants treated with CPI are not eligible. Specific to Arm V and Va: CPI-naïve R/R Pancreatic Cancer (Biopsy Arm) * Have documented radiographic progression to or documented in tolerance of first line systemic chemotherapy which included either gemcitabine or Fluorouracil (5-FU)-based regimen (including capecitabine); participants treated previously with CPI are not eligible. Specific to Biomarker Cohort: CPI-naïve R/R Ovarian Cancer * Up to 5 prior lines of treatment, including platinum-based treatment(s); participants treated previously with CPIs are not eligible. * Willing to provide pre- and on-treatment tumor biopsies. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant, lactating or breastfeeding. * Receiving chemotherapy or any anti-cancer therapy (approved or investigational) with half-life \<1 week within 30 days or 5 half-lives. * Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Participants with previously treated brain metastases may participate if stable. * Participants who have received treatment with systemic immunosuppressive medications. * Has a history of non-infectious pneumonitis that required steroids or current pneumonitis. * Has had an allogenic tissue/solid organ transplant or bone marrow transplant. * Has received prior therapy with an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-PD-L2 agent or with an agent directed to another stimulatory or co-inhibitory T-cell receptor (e.g., CTLA-4, OX-40, CD137) and was discontinued from that treatment due to a Grade 3 or higher Immune related adverse event (irAE).
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Detroit, Michigan, 48201, United States
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Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States
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Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19111, United States
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MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
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Mary Crowley Cancer Research
Dallas, Texas, 75230, United States
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Moffit Cancer Center
Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
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Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Nashville, Tennessee, 37211, United States
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Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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