- Higher exposure to Affimed's (AFMD, Financial) drug AFM24 significantly improves response rates and progression-free survival in NSCLC patients.
- The optimal weekly dose of 720 mg achieves target exposure by the second week of treatment, without safety concerns.
- Combination therapy with atezolizumab enhances efficacy, showing a 37.04% response rate in high-exposure patients.
Affimed N.V. (AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, has announced noteworthy results from its recent study on AFM24, a drug developed to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study was showcased at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), highlighting the correlation between higher drug exposure and improved patient outcomes.
In a cohort of 72 NSCLC patients, those with drug exposure levels above the median experienced a 33.3% objective response rate compared to just 5.6% in the low-exposure group. Furthermore, patients in the high-exposure group enjoyed a median progression-free survival of 7.3 months, significantly surpassing the 2.9 months seen in their lower exposure counterparts. The disease control rate was also higher at 83.3% versus 58.3% for those with lesser exposure.
Importantly, increased AFM24 exposure was not linked to heightened safety risks, encouraging Affimed to pursue a weekly 720 mg dosage in future trials. This dosage has been shown to achieve the desired drug exposure levels by the second week of treatment. The combination therapy of AFM24 with atezolizumab showed enhanced benefits, with a 37.04% objective response rate in the high-exposure group against 7.14% in the low-exposure group.
Dr. Andreas Harstrick, Affimed's Chief Medical Officer, emphasized the promising potential of AFM24, especially in synergy with atezolizumab, as a novel, chemotherapy-free treatment for advanced NSCLC. Future clinical studies will incorporate the higher 720 mg dose to optimize patient outcomes and possibly mitigate the risk of early tumor progression.
