Innovative oral targeted therapies are warranted for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–mutant non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Zongertinib is an oral, irreversible, HER2-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been shown to have efficacy in persons with advanced or metastatic solid tumors with HER2 alterations in a phase 1 study.
We evaluated zongertinib in a multicohort, phase 1a–1b trial involving patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-mutant NSCLC. Here we report the primary analysis of zongertinib in previously treated patients: those with tumors harboring a mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain (cohort 1), those with tumors harboring a mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain previously treated with a HER2-directed antibody–drug conjugate (cohort 5), and those with tumors harboring a non–tyrosine kinase domain mutation (cohort 3). In cohort 1, patients were initially randomly assigned to receive zongertinib at a dose of 120 mg or 240 mg once daily. Patients in cohorts 5 and 3 initially received 240 mg daily. After an interim analysis of data from cohort 1, subsequently recruited patients across all cohorts received zongertinib at a dose of 120 mg. The primary end point was an objective response assessed by blinded independent central review (cohorts 1 and 5) or by investigator review (cohort 3). Secondary end points included the duration of response and progression-free survival.
In cohort 1, a total of 75 patients received zongertinib at a dose of 120 mg. At the data cutoff (November 29, 2024), 71% of these patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 60 to 80; P<0.001 against a ≤30% benchmark) had a confirmed objective response; the median duration of response was 14.1 months (95% CI, 6.9 to not evaluable), and the median progression-free survival was 12.4 months (95% CI, 8.2 to not evaluable). Grade 3 or higher drug-related adverse events occurred in 13 patients (17%). In cohort 5 (31 patients), 48% of the patients (95% CI, 32 to 65) had a confirmed objective response. Grade 3 or higher drug-related adverse events occurred in 1 patient (3%). In cohort 3 (20 patients), 30% of the patients (95% CI, 15 to 52) had a confirmed objective response. Grade 3 or higher drug-related adverse events occurred in 5 patients (25%). Across all three cohorts, no cases of drug-related interstitial lung disease occurred.
Zongertinib showed clinical benefit with mainly low-grade adverse events in patients with previously treated HER2-mutant NSCLC. (Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim; Beamion LUNG-1 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04886804.)
Confirmed objective response was 76% the median duration of response was 15.2 months and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 14.4 months Of the patients with brain mets 47% had a confirmed intracranial objective response Zongertinib showed sustained efficacy in previously untreated patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-mutant Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) with mostly low-grade toxicity.
45 patients with Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) who received the 600-mg dose, 36% had a partial response, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.3 months, estimated 12-month overall survival was 59% 21 patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma 24% had a response, the median PFS was 3.0 months and the median overall survival was 10.3 months.
Setidegrasib represents a meaningful advance in targeting KRAS G12D–mutant tumors, demonstrating a 36% response rate with median PFS exceeding 8 months in heavily pretreated NSCLC, and a 24% response rate with ~10 month median overall survival (OS) in third line pancreatic cancer, both notable signals in populations lacking approved targeted therapies.
The CHRYSALIS-2, the cohort C analysis of patients with atypical EGFR mutations showed meaningful and durable activity. Atypical mutations can be difficult to deal with as a clinician, and having concrete data on these (S768I, L861Q and G719ZX) mutations gives assurance that this doublet is active. Overall response rate (ORR) was 52% and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.1 months in refractory patients and 19.5 months in the treatment-naive population.
The final overall survival (OS) analysis from the FLAURA2 confirms the well-published findings that Osi + chemo improves survival over Osi monotherapy. OS difference was about 10 months at 47 vs 37 months, with a predictable toxicity tradeoff.