Ivonescimab for previously untreated PD-L1 positive metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer

Ivonescimab is being developed for the first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with high levels of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer. Metastatic cancer refers to cancer that has spread from the part of the body where it started to other parts of the body. PD-L1 is a type of protein that can show on the surface of cancer cells which stops the immune system from attacking the cancer cells, with higher levels of PD-L1 suggesting worse outcomes for patients. This suggests a need for treatments specifically designed to for high PD-L1 patients. Common symptoms of lung cancer include coughing, recurrent chest infections, coughing up blood, breathlessness, tiredness, and unexplained weight loss. Smoking tobacco remains the main cause of lung cancer. There remains a need for futher treatment options for PD-L1 patients due to it’s ability to often evade the immune response.