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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A promising new combo therapy for head and neck cancer is turning heads. Inhibrx Biosciences' INBRX-106, paired with Keytruda, shrank or eliminated tumors in 48.3% of patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma — nearly double the 26.5% seen with Keytruda alone. The results were especially striking in HPV-positive patients, where the combination achieved an 80% response rate.
A promising new combo therapy for head and neck cancer is turning heads. Inhibrx Biosciences reported mid-stage trial results showing that INBRX-106 — an immunotherapy targeting the OX40 protein on T cells — combined with Merck's Keytruda (pembrolizumab) significantly outperformed Keytruda alone in patients with advanced, inoperable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
The results were particularly striking in HPV-positive patients, where the combination achieved an 80% tumor response rate versus just 33.3% for Keytruda alone. Inhibrx now plans to enroll ~50 more HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer patients to support a potential accelerated FDA approval. The company also intends to explore INBRX-106 in combination with therapeutic cancer vaccines.
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Why it matters: OX40-targeting drugs have largely failed in the past, with Amgen, Kyowa Kirin, and Sanofi all discontinuing their candidates. Inhibrx's results suggest this pathway may still hold promise — particularly in HPV-driven cancers — potentially opening a new treatment avenue for a patient population with limited options.
