Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) announced on Monday positive interim results from the Phase 2 SunRISe-4 study investigating the efficacy of TAR-200 in combination with cetrelimab for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).
The ongoing study revealed that the combination of TAR-200 and cetrelimab achieved a pathological complete response rate of 42%, nearly double the 23% response rate observed with cetrelimab alone. This response was seen in MIBC patients who are either ineligible for or have declined neoadjuvant chemotherapy and are scheduled for radical cystectomy.
Treatment-related adverse events were reported in 72% of patients receiving the combination therapy, compared to 44% of those treated with cetrelimab alone.
"These promising results suggest that TAR-200 combined with cetrelimab as a neoadjuvant therapy before radical cystectomy could potentially transform the current treatment approach for bladder cancer," said Kiran Patel, Vice President of Clinical Development for Solid Tumors at Johnson & Johnson's Innovative Medicine division.
