FDA approves Unloxcyt (cosibelimab-ipdl) for the treatment of adults with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma – Checkpoint Therapeutics

Checkpoint Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the FDA has approved Unloxcyt (cosibelimab-ipdl) for the treatment of adults with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (“cSCC”) or locally advanced cSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation. Unloxcyt is the first and only programmed death ligand-1 (“PD-L1”) blocking antibody to receive FDA marketing approval for this indication.

The recommended commercial dosage of Unloxcyt is 1,200 mg administered as an intravenous infusion over 60 minutes every three weeks.

“Today’s FDA approval of Unloxcyt – the first marketing approval for our company – is a significant milestone both for Checkpoint and for patients with advanced cSCC,” said James Oliviero, President and Chief Executive Officer of Checkpoint. “This approval marks Checkpoint’s transformation to a commercial-stage company, with the opportunity to compete in a U.S. market estimated to exceed $1 billion annually, where we believe Unloxcyt offers a differentiated treatment option versus available therapies by binding to PD-L1, rather than programmed death receptor-1 (“PD-1”), to release the inhibitory effects of PD-L1 on the anti-tumor immune response. Additionally, Unloxcyt has demonstrated the ability to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (“ADCC”), another potential differentiating feature of the drug compared to existing marketed therapies for patients with cSCC.”

“cSCC is the second most common form of skin cancer, and those diagnosed with advanced disease that has recurred or metastasized face a poor prognosis. cSCC remains a disease with a significant need for more effective and tolerable treatment options, particularly for patients with concomitant hematological malignancies, solid organ transplant recipients, or a history of autoimmune disorders,” stated Emily Ruiz, M.D., M.P.H., Academic Director of the Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Director of the High-Risk Skin Cancer Clinic at Dana Farber Cancer Center, and Associate Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School. “Unloxcyt is the first FDA-approved PD-L1–blocking antibody to demonstrate clinically meaningful objective response rates with durable responses in advanced cSCC. With its dual mechanisms of action and compelling safety profile, this promising drug will provide U.S. oncologists with an important new immunotherapy option for the treatment of cSCC.”