A phase I safety and pharmacokinetic study of the death receptor 5 agonistic antibody PRO95780 in patients with advanced malignancies

Abstract

Purpose: PRO95780 is a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that triggers the extrinsic apoptosis pathway through death receptor 5. This first-in-human study assessed the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and any early evidence of efficacy of PRO95780 in patients with advanced malignancies.

Experimental design: Target concentrations were predicted to occur at 10 mg/kg. Patients received up to eight cycles of PRO95780 i.v. using a 3+3 dose escalation design at 1 to 20 mg/kg every 14 days (every 28 days in cycle 1; stage 1), with cohort expansion at either the maximum tolerated dose or 10 mg/kg, whichever was lower (stage 2). Patients were evaluated for response every other cycle.

Results: The maximum tolerated dose was not reached within this study. Four (8%) of 50 patients reported adverse events of greater than grade 2 at least possibly related to PRO95780, including 2 patients with reversible grade 3 transaminase elevation. The mean terminal half-life was 8.8 to 19.3 days, with dose-dependent increases in exposure (peak plasma concentration and area under the concentration) across 1 to 15 mg/kg. Most patients treated with 10 mg/kg or above achieved trough concentration above the target efficacious concentration at day 15 with moderate accumulation after multiple doses. No objective responses occurred, although three minor responses were observed in patients with colorectal and granulosa cell ovarian cancers (each treated with 4 mg/kg) and chondrosarcoma (10 mg/kg).

Conclusions: PRO95780 is safe and well tolerated at doses up to 20 mg/kg. Evidence of activity was noted in several different tumor types at 4 and 10 mg/kg. Pharmacokinetic analysis supports a dosing regimen of 10 to 15 mg/kg every 2 to 3 weeks.