Cemiplimab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for advanced NSCLC with PD-L1 ≥ 1%: subgroup analysis from EMPOWER-Lung 3 part 2

Subgroup analysis of the multinational phase 3 EMPOWER-Lung 3 part 2 trial evaluated cemiplimab plus chemotherapy versus placebo plus chemotherapy among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer with PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%. The median overall survival was 23.5 months in the cemiplimab group versus 12.1 months in the placebo group (HR 0.51; p<0.0001), the median progression-free survival was 8.3 months versus 5.5 months (HR 0.48; p<0.0001), and the objective response rate was 47.9% versus 22.7%. Improved efficacy with cemiplimab was seen in both squamous and nonsquamous histology. Patient-reported outcomes favored cemiplimab plus chemotherapy over placebo plus chemotherapy. The authors conclude that cemiplimab plus chemotherapy demonstrated clinical benefit over placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with advanced squamous of nonsquamous NSCLC with PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%.