Immutep Limited (IMMP,IMM.AX) announced positive results from Cohort B of the TACTI-003 (KEYNOTE-PNC-34) Phase IIb trial evaluating eftilagimod alfa (efti) in combination with Merck & Co., Inc.'s (MRK) anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) as first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients or 1L HNSCC with negative PD-L1 expression.
IMMP closed Thursday's regular trading at $2.01 up $0.01 or 0.50%. In the after-hours trading, the stock further gained $0.71 or 35.32%.
The investigational immuno-oncology combination utilising efti and KEYTRUDA achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 35.5% and a disease control rate or DCR of 58.1%, according to RECIST 1.1, in 1L HNSCC patients whose tumours do not express PD-L1 (Combined Positive Score or CPS less than 1). These results are among the highest recorded for a chemotherapy-free approach in negative PD-L1 patients and compare favourably to a historical control of 5.4% ORR and 32.4% DCR from anti-PD-1 monotherapy, the company said.
Additionally, the investigational immuno-oncology combination attained a high complete response rate of 9.7%, which compares favourably to a historical control of 0% from anti-PD-1 monotherapy in 1L HNSCC patients with a CPS less than 1.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.