Amivantamab Eradicates Tumours in 15 of 102 Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 30
Amivantamab Eradicates Tumours in 15 of 102 Head and Neck Cancer Patients
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 30
In 102 patients with advanced head and neck cancer, amivantamab shrank or eliminated tumours in 43, including 15 whose tumours disappeared completely after other treatments had failed.
The jab works on three fronts—blocking EGFR and MET while also activating the immune system—and doctors said responses appeared within weeks in a group resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Given once every three weeks as a small under-the-skin injection, the treatment caused mostly mild to moderate side-effects, with fewer than 1 in 10 patients stopping therapy.
Median survival reached 12.5 months in this hard-to-treat population, and researchers said the results were especially notable because the trial focused on non-HPV head and neck cancers, which are usually harder to treat.
Johnson & Johnson's amivantamab is now being tested in about 60 trials, mainly in lung cancer but also in colorectal, brain and gastric cancers, with the latest data due to be presented at ASCO in Chicago.
After a decade in development, will this breakthrough cancer jab be priced beyond the reach of most patients?
Why is a drug approved last year now being hailed as an 'unprecedented' cancer breakthrough?
For the 57% of patients this 'miracle jab' fails, what is the next step in their treatment?
Breakthrough for Head and Neck Cancer: Subcutaneous Amivantamab Shows 45% ORR in HPV-Unrelated HNSCC
Overview
In February 2026, the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to subcutaneous amivantamab (Rybrevant Faspro) for patients with recurrent or metastatic, HPV-unrelated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This innovative drug is a fully human bispecific antibody that targets both the EGFR and MET pathways, aiming to provide a more comprehensive treatment approach. The designation is based on promising early clinical evidence showing substantial improvement over existing therapies. With this status, amivantamab will receive expedited development and review, offering new hope for patients facing this challenging disease.