Boston-based biotech enGene Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ENGN) reported updated interim data from the pivotal cohort of its LEGEND trial showing detalimogene voraplasmid (formerly known as EG-70) achieved a 54% complete response rate at any time in BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, though a Kaplan-Meier estimate of 12-month duration of response of 25% raises questions about durability that the company acknowledged will require further evaluation.
The LEGEND trial is an ongoing, open-label, multi-cohort Phase II study evaluating detalimogene voraplasmid — a non-viral, intravesical gene-based immunotherapy — in patients with high-risk, BCG-unresponsive NMIBC with carcinoma in situ (CIS), with or without concomitant papillary disease. The pivotal cohort, Cohort 1, enrolled 125 patients and is designed to serve as the basis for a planned Biologics License Application (BLA) filing. The data cutoff for this interim analysis was April 21, 2026.
The trial also includes three additional cohorts: BCG-naïve NMIBC patients with CIS, BCG-exposed but inadequately treated CIS patients, and BCG-unresponsive patients with papillary-only disease — a breadth of design that, if supported by data, could underpin a broader label than any currently approved agent in this setting.
In the 125-patient pivotal cohort, 67 of 124 evaluable patients achieved a complete response at any time, yielding a CR rate of 54% (95% CI: 45%, 63%). Of these, 91% of responses occurred at the first disease assessment. The six-month CR rate was 43% (95% CI: 34%, 52%) based on 52 of 121 evaluable patients, with 14% of non-responders converting to CR after re-induction.
Among the 52 patients who achieved a CR at six months, 37 of 44 with a nine-month assessment remained in CR. At 12 months, 13 of 22 patients with an assessment were still in CR, with 11 additional patients pending evaluation. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of 12-month duration of response was 25% (95% CI: 11%, 41%), with a median duration of response of 37.3 weeks (range: 31.6–43.9 weeks).
The rate of progression to muscle-invasive or more advanced disease was 3.2%, a figure enGene cited as clinically meaningful given that bladder preservation is a central goal in this population.
A notable finding within the interim data is that the 32 patients whose first disease assessment occurred after the October 24, 2025 data cutoff showed lower CR rates than the overall cohort — 39% at any time and 32% at six months. The company said a preliminary subgroup analysis had not identified material differences in demographics or disease characteristics, and that a more comprehensive analysis was ongoing.
The tolerability profile was consistent with prior reports. Of the 125 patients assessed for safety, 55% experienced at least one treatment-related adverse event, with 91% of those events graded as Grade 1 or 2. Grade 3 TRAEs occurred in six patients (4.8%), and one Grade 4 TRAE was reported, which resolved. No Grade 5 events were observed. Treatment interruption and discontinuation due to TRAEs each occurred in 2.4% of patients. The most common TRAEs were fatigue (22%), dysuria (14%), micturition urgency (12%), pollakiuria (12%), and bladder spasm (11%).
Detalimogene voraplasmid is designed for intravesical instillation and uses enGene’s proprietary Dually Derivatized Oligochitosan (DDX) platform, a non-viral delivery technology intended to penetrate mucosal tissues and transfect urothelial cells with plasmid DNA. The mechanism centers on local innate immune activation, including IL-12 expression and downstream IFN-γ-associated antitumor immune signaling, with the goal of generating a potent but spatially confined anti-tumor immune response within the bladder.
The non-viral nature of the delivery system is a key differentiator from Ferring’s Adstiladrin (nadofaragene firadenovec), which uses a recombinant adenoviral vector encoding IFN-α2b. Adenoviral approaches may be subject to pre-existing anti-vector immunity, and their cold-chain handling requirements add logistical complexity in urology clinic settings. Detalimogene, by contrast, is positioned as a simpler-to-handle intravesical monotherapy.
The non-muscle invasive bladder cancer therapy landscape has expanded considerably in recent years. Four agents now carry FDA approval specifically for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC with CIS: Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab), approved in January 2020 with a CR rate of approximately 41% in the KEYNOTE-057 trial; nadofaragene firadenovec, approved in December 2022 with a CR rate of approximately 53% at three months; ImmunityBio’s Anktiva (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln), approved in April 2024 with a reported CR rate of 62% in the QUILT-3.032 trial, used in combination with BCG; and Janssen’s Inlexzo (gemcitabine intravesical system), approved in September 2025.
Cross-trial comparisons are limited by differences in patient populations, eligibility criteria, response assessment schedules, and follow-up durations. Direct efficacy benchmarking between detalimogene and these approved agents is not possible from available data. However, within this field, detalimogene’s potential differentiation rests primarily on its non-viral delivery modality, its monotherapy design that does not require BCG co-administration — unlike nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln — and its intravesical route, which avoids the systemic immune-related adverse event profile associated with pembrolizumab. The durability question, however, is one that applies broadly across the class, and the 25% Kaplan-Meier 12-month duration of response estimate from the LEGEND pivotal trial interim results will need to mature before the full durability picture becomes clear.
Detalimogene holds both Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) and Fast Track designations from the US FDA, and has been selected for the agency’s CMC Development and Readiness Pilot (CDRP) program. enGene said it has completed required FDA manufacturing validation batches and submitted a Statistical Analysis Plan to the agency. The company plans to present the LEGEND pivotal trial results at a plenary session of the American Urological Association meeting on May 15, 2026, and indicated it will provide a further regulatory update in the second half of 2026 as it approaches a potential BLA filing.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by the AllSci editorial team Explore more at AllSci News: https://allsci.com/news/
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