AbbVie has scrapped a phase 2 solid tumor drug after deciding that the monoclonal antibody was unlikely to best the current standard of care, Fierce has learned.
The Big Pharma had been evaluating livmoniplimab, also known as ABBV-151, in a range of oncology studies, including a phase 2/3 trial in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). That trial, which kicked off in 2024, was designed to pit livmoniplimab and AbbVie’s PD-1-blocker budigalimab against Merck & Co.’s blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda.
That trial was due to read out in 2031, but AbbVie has since called time on the livmoniplimab program.
“AbbVie has made the decision to discontinue the clinical development of livmoniplimab as its potential benefit appears limited relative to the current standards of care available for patients with several solid tumors such as colorectal cancer and lung cancer,” a spokesperson told Fierce.
“While we are disappointed that this therapy will not advance further, our commitment to patients with difficult-to-treat solid tumors remains strong and we are confident in our robust pipeline of innovative therapies aimed at bringing transformative treatments,” they added.
Livmoniplimab was developed to bind to the glycoprotein-A repetitions predominant-transforming growth factor (GARP–TGF)-β complex, blocking release of active TGF-β1 and promoting immunoreactivity.
A phase 1 study in 12 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma had previously demonstrated an overall response rate of 42% for patients receiving the livmoniplimab-budigalimab combo, AbbVie reported back in 2024. That same year, the company had pointed to “encouraging preliminary efficacy” across a range of solid tumors as supporting its further development.
AbbVie’s solid tumor offering currently consists of the antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) Elahere and Emrelis. The development pipeline is led by the likes of the phase 3-stage next-gen ADCs Temab-A and ABBV-706.
Back-dated Brise deal
Another update on AbbVie’s pipeline came yesterday from an unexpected source, when China’s Brise Pharmaceuticals disclosed in a press release that it had signed a $757 million biobucks deal back in 2024 for two of its preclinical migraine programs.
“By partnering with a global leader like AbbVie, we can maximize the value of our discovery engine while continuing to invest in the next wave of innovative therapies,” Brise CEO Guochun Li said in Monday’s release.
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