GSK’s lung cancer drug iTeos shows potential and strengthens TIGIT as a viable target

BARCELONA, Spain – A targeted immunotherapy being developed by biotech companies iTeos Therapeutics and GSK has shown promising response rates in patients with a certain type of lung cancer, moving the treatment into a pivotal Phase 3 trial and fueling a broader debate about the target's validity.

The companies reported Saturday that their combination of an antibody targeting TIGIT and GSK's Jemperli increased the percentage of patients whose tumors shrank compared with those who received Jemperli alone, meeting the goals of the Phase 2 trial and meeting analysts' expectations that the study could be considered a success.

“We are absolutely thrilled by the intensity of the response,” Michel Detheux, CEO of iTeos, told STAT.