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News
A novel drug combo is turning heads in head and neck cancer treatment. Adding INBRX-106, a hexavalent OX40 agonist, to the immunotherapy pembrolizumab nearly doubled confirmed response rates (48.3% vs 26.5%) and extended progression-free survival in PD-L1–positive HNSCC patients. The benefit was especially striking in HPV-positive patients, where the response rate hit 80%.
A novel drug combo is showing impressive results in head and neck cancer treatment. Updated data from the phase 2/3 HexAgon-HN trial show that adding INBRX-106 — a hexavalent OX40 agonist — to the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) nearly doubled confirmed objective response rates compared to pembrolizumab alone in patients with PD-L1–positive metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
The results were particularly striking in HPV-positive patients, where the combination achieved an 80% response rate versus 33.3% with pembrolizumab alone — and a 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 90% versus just 33%. Complete responses, which were entirely absent in the control arm, were seen in 13.8% of all combination patients and 30% of HPV-positive patients. Safety-wise, the most common side effects — rash, fatigue, and diarrhea — were mostly low grade.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: HNSCC is notoriously difficult to treat, especially in recurrent or metastatic settings. These results suggest that OX40-mediated T-cell costimulation could meaningfully boost immunotherapy efficacy — with HPV-positive patients potentially standing to benefit the most. Inhibrx is now pursuing an accelerated FDA approval pathway.
