Novartis’ Ilaris Falters During Phase 3 NSCLC Study

Novartis’ inflammation therapy Ilaris (canakinumab) didn’t meet its primary endpoint of survival in a phase 3 trial evaluating its use, along with chemotherapy agent docetaxel, in adults with locally advanced or metastatic nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease progressed after chemotherapy.

Novartis said it will continue other phase 3 studies evaluating Ilaris, a monoclonal antibody that blocks certain proteins in the body that can affect inflammation and other immune responses, in NSCLC in earlier treatment settings.

The company said it launched its late-stage trials after seeing significantly lower-than-expected rates of lung cancer mortality among patients in another phase 3 trial evaluating Ilaris as a secondary prevention measure for cardiovascular events in patients following a heart attack.

Ilaris, approved to treat periodic fever syndromes and arthritis in children, also recently struck out as a COVID-19 treatment and a heart disease therapy.