Corvus Pharmaceuticals Reports Promising Interim Data for Ciforadenant Triple Therapy in Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer
Key Insights
Corvus Pharmaceuticals presented interim data from a Phase 1b/2 trial showing that ciforadenant combined with ipilimumab and nivolumab achieved a 34% deep response rate in metastatic renal cell cancer (search) patients.
The triplet therapy demonstrated a 46% objective response rate and 11.04-month median progression-free survival in a challenging patient population with unfavorable disease characteristics.
The treatment was well-tolerated with a safety profile consistent with the established ipilimumab and nivolumab combination, supporting further development of adenosine A2a receptor (search) inhibition in cancer immunotherapy.
Corvus Pharmaceuticals presented encouraging interim results from its Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating ciforadenant in combination with ipilimumab and nivolumab as first-line therapy for metastatic renal cell cancer (search) (RCC) at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 in Berlin. The data, presented by Dr. Katy Beckermann from Tennessee Oncology (search) and the Kidney Cancer Research Consortium (search), demonstrated promising efficacy signals in a challenging patient population.
Trial Design and Patient Population
The open-label Phase 1b/2 trial enrolled 50 patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent stage IV clear cell RCC (search) who had not received prior systemic therapy. Patients received ciforadenant 100 mg orally twice daily in combination with ipilimumab 1mg/kg every three weeks for 12 weeks and nivolumab 3mg/kg every three weeks.
The study population presented unfavorable disease characteristics compared to typical RCC trials. Only 54% of patients had undergone prior nephrectomy, significantly lower than the 75-85% typically seen in similar studies. Nephrectomy is associated with improved outcomes in advanced RCC and is often not performed in patients with poor prognosis. Additionally, 82% of patients had poor or intermediate prognosis according to International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria, with a median age of 61.5 years.
Efficacy Results Show Promise
The primary endpoint for the Phase 2 portion focused on deep response rate, defined as complete response or partial response with greater than 50% tumor volume reduction. Historical data from the Kidney Cancer Research Consortium (search) indicates that deep responses correlate with prolonged progression-free survival and occur in approximately 32% of patients receiving ipilimumab and nivolumab alone.
The interim data revealed a 34% deep response rate, representing an improvement over historical data for the ipilimumab and nivolumab doublet, though not yet statistically significant. The objective response rate reached 46%, including two complete responses and 21 partial responses. Median progression-free survival was 11.04 months.
"Early results from this trial are encouraging, demonstrating consistent efficacy and favorable safety in a challenging RCC population, and we look forward to data from the 19 patients still on treatment," commented Dr. Beckermann.
Safety Profile Remains Manageable
The triplet therapy demonstrated a well-tolerated safety profile consistent with the established combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab. No new safety signals were identified with the addition of ciforadenant to the standard immunotherapy backbone.
Mechanism of Action and Future Outlook
Ciforadenant (CPI-444) is an investigational oral adenosine A2a receptor (search) inhibitor designed to block adenosine binding to immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Adenosine, a metabolite of ATP, is produced within tumors where it can bind to the adenosine A2a receptor on immune cells and suppress their activity. Preclinical studies published in 2018 demonstrated synergy between ciforadenant and anti-PD-1 (search)/anti-CTLA-4 (search) antibodies.
"We are encouraged by these results exploring ciforadenant in combination with ipilimumab and nivolumab as a potential front-line treatment for renal cell carcinoma," said Richard A. Miller, co-founder, president and CEO of Corvus. "Despite enrolling patients with more unfavorable disease compared to historical trials, the triplet combination demonstrated activity that compares favorably to historical results with the doublet alone."
Nineteen patients with stable or responding disease remain on therapy, providing potential for additional deep responses and longer-term efficacy data. The company plans to continue following these patients to better understand the potential benefits of blocking adenosine signaling in RCC treatment.