AbbVie is bringing fresh clinical, translational and real-world evidence from its lung cancer pipeline to the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), spotlighting investigational therapies aimed at non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

 

The data span next-generation immunotherapies and targeted antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), with studies examining treatment response, safety, patient experience and biomarkers that could help guide more tailored approaches to lung cancer treatment.

 

"Our strategy in lung cancer is focused on building a complementary pipeline that brings together next-generation immunotherapies and targeted antibody-drug conjugates with the potential to address different aspects of tumor biology," said Daejin Abidoye, vice president and therapeutic area head of oncology, solid tumor and hematology at AbbVie. 

 

"Exploring the PD-1/VEGF approach represented by ABBV-1480 and the c-Met targeting by Temab-A are important elements of that strategy and may provide a foundation for potential novel combinations as we work to develop more tailored treatment approaches for people living with lung cancer."

 

Among the key NSCLC findings are Phase 1b data for ABBV-1480 (RC148), an investigational PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody being developed with RemeGen.

 

In combination with platinum-based chemotherapy as a potential first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC, ABBV-1480 produced an objective response rate (ORR) of 90.0% in squamous NSCLC patients (27 of 30) and 75.9% in non-squamous NSCLC patients (22 of 29) at the 10 mg/kg dose.

 

The 10 mg/kg dose has been identified as the recommended Phase 3 dose for further development in combination regimens across both squamous and non-squamous NSCLC.

 

The most common treatment-related adverse events included decreases in white blood cells, neutrophils and platelets, as well as anemia. No grade ≥3 hemorrhages were observed with the 10 mg/kg combinations.

 

AbbVie said the overall safety profile supports continued Phase 3 development of the investigational therapy.

 

AbbVie is also advancing telisotuzumab adizutecan (Temab-A), an investigational c-Met-directed ADC carrying a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor (Top1i) payload.

 

Following preliminary activity in heavily pretreated patients, AbbVie has launched the Phase 1b/2 M24-536 study, testing Temab-A with a PD-1 inhibitor as a potential platinum-free, first-line treatment for advanced non-squamous NSCLC.

 

The study is examining c-Met and PD-L1 expression to help identify patients most likely to benefit. Temab-A is also being evaluated in EGFR-mutated NSCLC, both as a monotherapy and in combination with osimertinib.

 

In SCLC, AbbVie is highlighting new data on ABBV-706, an investigational SEZ6-targeted ADC carrying a Top1i payload.

 

The program previously demonstrated an ORR of 82% among 17 patients with relapsed/refractory SCLC following platinum-based chemotherapy.

 

New safety data from 240 patients treated with ABBV-706 monotherapy showed generally manageable hematologic and gastrointestinal toxicities. Nausea was reported in 35.8% of patients, vomiting in 17.5% and diarrhea in 10.8%; these events were largely low grade and generally did not require dose adjustments.

 

Grade ≥3 treatment-related pneumonitis or interstitial lung disease occurred in 1.7% of patients. Anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were among the most common treatment-related adverse events, while serious treatment-related adverse events occurred in 12.5% of patients.

 

AbbVie is now evaluating ABBV-706 as a monotherapy in a Phase 3 study and in combination with atezolizumab in a Phase 2 study.

 

Real-world research presented at WCLC found that SEZ6 was broadly expressed in SCLC, appearing in 91% of patients overall and in more than 96% of patients with brain or liver metastases.

 

The findings strengthen the case for SEZ6 as a potential therapeutic target not only in SCLC but also in other tumors that express the protein.