A Study to Test Whether Different Combinations of BI 765063, Ezabenlimab, Chemotherapy, Cetuximab, and BI 836880 Help People With Head and Neck Cancer or Liver Cancer
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The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Know the risks and potential benefits of clinical studies and talk to your health care provider before participating. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05249426 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : February 21, 2022
Last Update Posted : May 31, 2023
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This study is open to adults with head and neck cancer or liver cancer. This is a study for people for whom previous treatment was not successful or no standard treatment exists. The purpose of this study is to find out whether combining different medicines make tumours shrink in people with head and neck cancer or liver cancer. The tested medicines in this study are antibodies that act in different ways against cancer.
BI 765063 and ezabenlimab may help the immune system fight cancer (checkpoint inhibitors). Cetuximab blocks growth signals and may prevent the tumour from growing. BI 836880 blocks the formation of new blood vessels that the tumour needs to grow. All participants get BI 765063 and ezabenlimab. One group gets no additional medicine. The other groups get either BI 836880, cetuximab, or chemotherapy. BI 765063, ezabenlimab, and BI 836880 are given as infusions into veins every 3 weeks. Cetuximab is given as an infusion every 1 or 2 weeks.
Participants can stay in the study as long as they benefit from treatment and can tolerate it. The doctors monitor the size of the tumour. The doctors also regularly check participants' health and take note of any unwanted effects.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) | Drug: BI 765063 Drug: Ezabenlimab Drug: BI 836880 Drug: Cetuximab Other: Investigator´s Choice Chemotherapy | Phase 1 |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 150 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Masking Description: | Partly randomized trial. Patients will be randomized into cohort A, B, C and D. No randomization in cohort E. |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | An Open Label Trial of BI 765063 in Combination With BI 754091 (Ezabenlimab) Alone or With BI 836880, Chemotherapy, or Cetuximab, in Patients With Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) or Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) |
Actual Study Start Date : | February 25, 2022 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | June 27, 2024 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | July 27, 2024 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Cohort A: BI 765063 + ezabenlimab + cetuximab
30 Signal Regulatory Protein Alpha (SIRPα) V1/V1 homozygous patients with 2nd line recurrent/metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) who had received prior platinum-based therapy within the recurrent/metastatic setting.
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Drug: BI 765063
BI 765063 (anti-Signal Regulatory Protein Alpha (SIRPα) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb)) Drug: Ezabenlimab Ezabenlimab (anti-Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb))
Other Name: BI 754091 Drug: Cetuximab Cetuximab |
Experimental: Cohort B: BI 765063 + ezabenlimab + chemo (invest choice)
30 SIRPα V1/V1 homozygous patients with 2nd line recurrent/metastatic HNSCC who had received prior platinum-based therapy within the recurrent/metastatic setting.
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Drug: BI 765063
BI 765063 (anti-Signal Regulatory Protein Alpha (SIRPα) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb)) Drug: Ezabenlimab Ezabenlimab (anti-Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb))
Other Name: BI 754091 Other: Investigator´s Choice Chemotherapy Allowable chemotherapies include: paclitaxel, docetaxel, capecitabine, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate or combinations thereof |
Experimental: Cohort C: BI 765063 + ezabenlimab
30 SIRPα V1/V1 homozygous patients with advanced or metastatic 1st line Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).
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Drug: BI 765063
BI 765063 (anti-Signal Regulatory Protein Alpha (SIRPα) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb)) Drug: Ezabenlimab Ezabenlimab (anti-Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb))
Other Name: BI 754091 |
Experimental: Cohort D: BI 765063 + ezabenlimab + BI 836880
30 SIRPα V1/V1 homozygous patients with advanced or metastatic 1st line HCC.
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Drug: BI 765063
BI 765063 (anti-Signal Regulatory Protein Alpha (SIRPα) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb)) Drug: Ezabenlimab Ezabenlimab (anti-Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb))
Other Name: BI 754091 Drug: BI 836880 BI 836880 (anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) / Angiopoetin 2 (Ang2)) |
Experimental: Cohort E: BI 765063 + ezabenlimab + BI 836880
30 SIRPα V1/V1 homozygous patients with advanced or metastatic 2nd line HCC who progressed on therapy with atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab.
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Drug: BI 765063
BI 765063 (anti-Signal Regulatory Protein Alpha (SIRPα) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb)) Drug: Ezabenlimab Ezabenlimab (anti-Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb))
Other Name: BI 754091 Drug: BI 836880 BI 836880 (anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) / Angiopoetin 2 (Ang2)) |
- Objective Response (OR) [ Time Frame: Up to 12 months. ]Objective response (OR) with confirmation, defined as the best overall response of complete response (CR) or partial response (PR), where best overall response is determined according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumours (RECIST) version 1.1 (v1.1) by investigator's assessment from first treatment administration until the earliest of disease progression, death, or last evaluable tumour assessment before start of subsequent anti-cancer therapy, lost to follow-up or withdrawal of consent.
- Occurrence of treatment emergent adverse events (AEs) [ Time Frame: Up to 12 months. ]Occurrence of treatment emergent adverse events (AEs) by investigator's assessment from first treatment administration until the earliest of death, subsequent anti-cancer therapy, lost to follow-up or withdrawal of consent.
- Duration of objective response (DOR) [ Time Frame: Up to 12 months. ]Duration of objective response (DOR), defined as the time from first documented complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) (RECIST v1.1) until the earliest of progressive disease (PD) or death among patients with objective response (OR).
- Disease control (DC) [ Time Frame: Up to 12 months. ]Disease control (DC), defined as best overall response of complete reponse (CR), partial reponse (PR), or stable disease (SD) where best overall response is defined according to RECIST v1.1 as assessed by the Investigator until the earliest of disease progression, death, or last evaluable tumour assessment before start of subsequent anti-cancer therapy, or permanent treatment discontinuation.
- Progression-free survivial (PFS) [ Time Frame: Up to 12 months. ]Progression-free survival (PFS), defined as the time from first treatment administration until progressive disease (PD) according to RECIST v1.1 or death from any cause, whichever occurs earlier.

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Signed informed consent form (ICF) prior to any trial-specific procedures.
- Male or female aged ≥ 18 years at the time of ICF signature.
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 at the screening visit.
- Expected life expectancy of at least 3 months.
- Patients homozygous for V1 allele (including V1-like alleles) of Singal Regulatory Protein-alpha (SIRPα) (V1/V1 SIRPα genotype). SIRPα polymorphism will be assessed in blood sampling (using patient Deoxyribonucleic Acid [DNA]) during Screening 1 Visit.
- Patients with at least one measurable lesion as per Response Evaluation Critiera In Solid Tumours (RECIST) version 1.1 (v1.1).
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Patients must agree to provide a mandatory pre treatment (baseline) biopsy and an ontreatment fresh tumour biopsy (unless medically contraindicated). Details on biopsy sample collection are provided in the Lab Manual.
-- Pre-treatment (baseline) biopsy: A fresh tumour biopsy before receiving the trial medication is preferred. In case a fresh tumour biopsy cannot be obtained, the Sponsor must be notified and archival formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumour from the most recent time point before entering the trial must be provided (maximum 6 months prior to study entry).
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Female patients. Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) must agree to use highly effective methods of contraception per ICH M3 (R2), that results in a less than 1% per year failure rate when used consistently and correctly, starting at the screening visit, during the trial and for 6 months after the end of trial treatment. The requirement of contraception does not apply to women of no childbearing potential, but they must have evidence of such at screening. Women of childbearing potential must have a serum negative pregnancy test within 7 days prior to first drug administration. Women who are postmenopausal for at least 1 year (defined as more than 12 months since last menses) or are surgically sterilized do not require this test. The following methods of contraception are considered highly effective:
- Combined (oestrogen and progestogen containing) hormonal birth control that prevents ovulation (oral, intravaginal, transdermal)
- Progestogen-only hormonal birth control that prevents ovulation (oral, injectable, implantable)
- Intrauterine device (IUD) or intrauterine hormone-releasing system (IUS)
- Bilateral tubal occlusion
- Vasectomised partner (provided that this is the sole sexual partner and has received medical assessment of the surgical success)
- Sexual abstinence (if accepted by local ethics boards and regulatory agencies as highly effective) Although use of a contraceptive pill and Intrauterine device (IUD) together are considered a highly-effective method of birth control, women of childbearing potential taking a contraceptive pill must use an additional barrier method for the entire duration of the trial treatment intake and for 6 months after the end of the trial treatment intake.
Further inclusion criteria apply.
Exclusion criteria:
- Patients with at least one SIRPα V2 allele, i.e. SIRPα V1/V2 or V2/V2 individuals.
- Patients with symptomatic/active central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Patients with previously treated brain metastases are eligible, if there is no evidence of progression for at least 28 days before the first trial drug administration without requirement for treatment with corticosteroids, as ascertained by clinical examination and brain imaging (MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computed tomography)) during the screening period.
- Prior allogeneic stem cell or solid organ transplantation.
- Any tumour location necessitating an urgent therapeutic intervention (e.g., palliative care, surgery or radiation therapy, such as spinal cord compression, other compressive mass, uncontrolled painful lesion, bone fracture).
- Presence of active invasive cancers other than the one treated in this trial within 5 years prior to screening, except appropriately treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin, or in situ carcinoma of uterine cervix, or other local tumours considered cured by local treatment.
- Patients with active autoimmune disease or a documented history of autoimmune disease, that requires systemic treatment, i.e. corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs, except patients with vitiligo, resolved childhood asthma/atopy, alopecia, or any chronic skin condition that does not require systemic therapy; patients with autoimmune-related hypothyroidism on a stable dose of thyroid replacement hormone and/or controlled Type 1 diabetes mellitus on a stable insulin regimen are eligible.
- History of severe hemorrhagic or thromboembolic event in the past 12 months (excluding central venous catheter thrombosis and peripheral deep vein thrombosis).
- Known prior history of severe infusion related reactions to monoclonal antibodies (Grade ≥ 3 National Cancer Institute [NCI] Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0).
Further exclusion criteria apply.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT05249426
Contact: Boehringer Ingelheim | 1-800-243-0127 | clintriage.rdg@boehringer-ingelheim.com |

Responsible Party: | Boehringer Ingelheim |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT05249426 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
1443-0002 2021-003473-59 ( EudraCT Number ) |
First Posted: | February 21, 2022 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | May 31, 2023 |
Last Verified: | May 2023 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Plan Description: | Clinical studies sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, phases I to IV, interventional and non-interventional, are in scope for sharing of the raw clinical study data and clinical study documents, except for the following exclusions:
For more details refer to: https://www.mystudywindow.com/msw/datasharing |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Carcinoma Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms |
Neoplasms, Squamous Cell Head and Neck Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Cetuximab Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological Antineoplastic Agents |