Cemiplimab in monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer according to an actual drug program for the treatment of lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma

Cemiplimab is a monoclonal antibody against PD-1, which has European approval for monotherapy in patients with NSCLC with PD-L1 expression ≥ 50% and in combination with chemotherapy in a group with PDL1 expression ≥ 1%. In Poland, the use of cemiplimab is possible in these indications according to the criteria of the drug program B.6. The EMPOWER-Lung 1 trial showed significant improvement in OS (HR = 0.57) and PFS (HR = 0.51) in favor of cemiplimab with a lower risk of adverse events compared to chemotherapy alone. The use of cemiplimab in combination with chemotherapy significantly improves OS (HR = 0.65) and PFS (HR = 0.55) and increases objective response rates. The efficacy of cemiplimab in combination with chemotherapy is limited to the group of patients with PD-L1 expression ≥ 1% and is observed regardless of the histological type of NSCLC. The toxicity profile of cemiplimab is characteristic of the anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibody groups. Studies evaluating patients' quality of life indicate that cemiplimab treatment is associated with a lower risk of worsening quality of life compared to chemotherapy. When used as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, cemiplimab is one of the currently available therapeutic options and has reasonable use in relevant patient populations.