Multicenter phase 3 trial of first-line chemotherapy with sugemalimab versus placebo for mNSCLC

PD-1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy has been shown to be an effective first-line treatment for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC). However, there was no robust evidence showing that a PD-L1 inhibitor combined with chemotherapy benefitted patients with mNSCLC. The multicenter phase 3 GEMSTONE-302 trial in China evaluated the PD-L1 inhibitor sugemalimab versus placebo, in combination with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, for metastatic squamous or non-squamous NSCLC. The median progression-free survival was 9.0 months with sugemalimab versus 4.9 months with placebo. The authors conclude that in patients with previously untreated mNSCLC, sugemalimab plus chemotherapy could be a new treatment option.