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Trial details imported from ClinicalTrials.gov

For full trial details, please see the original record at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06788990




Registration number
NCT06788990
Ethics application status
Date submitted
10/01/2025
Date registered
23/01/2025
Date last updated
11/05/2025

Titles & IDs
Public title
FORTIFI-HN01: A Study of Ficerafusp Alfa (BCA101) or Placebo in Combination With Pembrolizumab in First-Line PD-L1-pos, R or M HNSCC
Scientific title
A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Phase 2/3 Study of Ficerafusp Alfa (BCA101) or Placebo in Combination With Pembrolizumab for First-Line Treatment of PD-L1-positive, Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Secondary ID [1] 0 0
2024-519654-37-00
Secondary ID [2] 0 0
BCA101X301
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
FORTIFI-HN01
Linked study record

Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma 0 0
Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma 0 0
Condition category
Condition code
Cancer 0 0 0 0
Non melanoma skin cancer
Cancer 0 0 0 0
Kidney
Cancer 0 0 0 0
Head and neck
Other 0 0 0 0
Research that is not of generic health relevance and not applicable to specific health categories listed above

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
Description of intervention(s) / exposure
Treatment: Drugs - Ficerafusp alfa
Treatment: Drugs - Pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®)
Treatment: Drugs - Placebo

Experimental: Phase 2 Arm A - ficerafusp alfa 1500 mg QW + pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks (Q3W)

Experimental: Phase 2 Arm B - ficerafusp alfa 750 mg QW + pembrolizumab 200 mg Q3W

Placebo comparator: Phase 2 Arm C - placebo QW + pembrolizumab 200 mg Q3W

Experimental: Phase 3 OBD Arm - ficerafusp alfa OBD + pembrolizumab 200 mg Q3W

Placebo comparator: Phase 3 Arm C - placebo QW + pembrolizumab 200 mg Q3W


Treatment: Drugs: Ficerafusp alfa
Investigational

Treatment: Drugs: Pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®)
Immunotherapy agent used in combination with investigational agent

Treatment: Drugs: Placebo
Placebo Control

Intervention code [1] 0 0
Treatment: Drugs
Comparator / control treatment
Control group

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 0 0
Phase 2 - Incidence and severity of TEAEs, treatment-treatment emergent SAEs TEAEs leading to dose interruption, dose reduction, or permanent discontinuation.
Timepoint [1] 0 0
Up to 30 days post end of treatment for TEAEs (90 days for SAEs).
Primary outcome [2] 0 0
Phase 2 - Objective Response Rate (ORR) per RECIST 1.1 by blinded independent central review (BICR)
Timepoint [2] 0 0
Approximately 1 year.
Primary outcome [3] 0 0
Phase 3 - Objective Response Rate (ORR) per RECIST 1.1 by BICR.
Timepoint [3] 0 0
Approximately 2 years.
Primary outcome [4] 0 0
Phase 3 - Overall Survival (OS)
Timepoint [4] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [1] 0 0
Phase 2 - Duration of Response (DOR) per RECIST 1.1 by BICR.
Timepoint [1] 0 0
Approximately 1 year.
Secondary outcome [2] 0 0
Phase 3 - Incidence and severity of TEAEs, treatment-treatment emergent SAEs TEAEs leading to dose interruption, dose reduction, or permanent discontinuation.
Timepoint [2] 0 0
Up to 30 days post end of treatment for TEAEs (90 days for SAEs).
Secondary outcome [3] 0 0
Phase 3 - Progression-free survival (PFS) per RECIST 1.1 by BICR.
Timepoint [3] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [4] 0 0
Phase 3 - Objective Response Rate (ORR) per RECIST 1.1 by BICR.
Timepoint [4] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [5] 0 0
Phase 3 - Duration of Response (DOR) per RECIST 1.1 by BICR.
Timepoint [5] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [6] 0 0
Phase 3 - Clinical Benefit Rate (CBR) per RECIST 1.1 by BICR.
Timepoint [6] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [7] 0 0
Phase 3 - ORR, per RECIST 1.1 by investigator's assessment.
Timepoint [7] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [8] 0 0
Phase 3 - DOR, per RECIST 1.1 by investigator's assessment.
Timepoint [8] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [9] 0 0
Phase 3 - PFS, per RECIST 1.1 by investigator's assessment.
Timepoint [9] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [10] 0 0
Phase 3 - 14. Time to deterioration (TTD) in global health status measured by the EORTC QLQ C30 items for global health status and quality of life scale (item 29/30)
Timepoint [10] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.
Secondary outcome [11] 0 0
Phase 3 - Time to deterioration (TTD) in pain measured by the EORTC HN 35 (items 31-34) pain domain.
Timepoint [11] 0 0
Approximately 3 years.

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
* Age =18 years on the day the Informed Consent Form is signed.
* Histologically or cytologically confirmed R or M HNSCC. Eligible primary tumor locations are oral cavity, hypopharynx, larynx or oropharynx (with documented HPV-negative disease if presenting with OPSCC). Note: primary tumor location of paranasal sinuses and nasopharynx, any histology are excluded.
* No prior systemic therapy administered in the R or M setting; and completed systemic therapy >6 months prior if given as part of multimodal treatment for locoregionally advanced disease in the adjuvant or definitive setting.
* Archival tumor tissue or willing to undergo pretreatment biopsy at Screening if archival tissue is insufficient or unavailable.
* PD-L1 CPS =1 (by PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx assay).
* Measurable disease based on RECIST 1.1.
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1.
* Adequate organ function, as defined in the protocol.
Minimum age
18 Years
Maximum age
No limit
Sex
Both males and females
Can healthy volunteers participate?
No
Key exclusion criteria
* Disease suitable for local therapy administered with curative intent.
* Prior treatment with anti-TGFß therapy.
* Prior therapy with an anti-EGFR antibody (exception: radio sensitizing agents and multimodal treatment for locoregionally advanced disease).
* Prior history of Grade =2 intolerance or hypersensitivity reaction to anti-EGFR therapy or other murine proteins.
* Prior therapy with an immune checkpoint inhibitor completed within 6 months prior to study treatment initiation.
* Progressive disease <6 months from completion of curative intent systemic therapy for locoregionally advanced HNSCC.
* Life expectancy less than 3 months.
* Known active central nervous system metastases, history of spinal cord compression from tumor involvement, a history of carcinomatous meningitis, or leptomeningeal disease are excluded.
* Current active major bleeding, or a recent major bleeding episode within 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
* Subject participated in another clinical study or received treatment with another investigational drug must wait at least 5 half-lives of the treatment received or 4 weeks (whichever is shorter) following prior therapy.
* Active autoimmune disease requiring systemic treatment in the past 2 years.
* Subjects with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with active disease who meet the criteria for anti-HBV therapy and are not on a suppressive antiviral therapy prior to initiation of study treatment.
* Subjects with a known history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) who have not completed curative antiviral treatment or have an HCV viral load above the limit of quantification at Screening.
* Known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
* Receipt of any organ transplantation, including autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation, with the exception of transplants that do not require immunosuppression.
* Known to be diagnosed and/or treated for any other additional malignancy within 2 years prior to randomization with the exception of the following: curatively treated basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, and curatively resected in situ cervical cancer, and curatively resected in situ breast cancer, and low-risk early stage prostate cancer.
* Any condition requiring systemic treatment with either corticosteroids (>10 mg daily of prednisone or equivalent) or other immunosuppressive medication within 7 days prior to the first dose of study treatment, except for topical, intranasal, intrabronchial, or ocular steroids.
* Use of a live or live attenuated vaccine within 4 weeks prior to Screening.

Other Inclusion/Exclusion criteria may apply as defined in the protocol.

Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Masking / blinding
Blinded (masking used)
Who is / are masked / blinded?
The people receiving the treatment/s


The people analysing the results/data
Intervention assignment
Parallel
Other design features
Phase
Phase 2
Type of endpoint/s
Statistical methods / analysis

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Recruiting
Data analysis
Reason for early stopping/withdrawal
Other reasons
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
Actual
Sample size
Target
Accrual to date
Final
Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
NSW,QLD,VIC
Recruitment hospital [1] 0 0
Site#0304 - Waratah
Recruitment hospital [2] 0 0
Site#0307 - Tugun
Recruitment hospital [3] 0 0
Site#0301 - North Melbourne
Recruitment postcode(s) [1] 0 0
2298 - Waratah
Recruitment postcode(s) [2] 0 0
4224 - Tugun
Recruitment postcode(s) [3] 0 0
3051 - North Melbourne
Recruitment outside Australia
Country [1] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [1] 0 0
Florida
Country [2] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [2] 0 0
Iowa
Country [3] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [3] 0 0
Kentucky
Country [4] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [4] 0 0
Massachusetts
Country [5] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [5] 0 0
North Carolina
Country [6] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [6] 0 0
Ohio
Country [7] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [7] 0 0
South Carolina
Country [8] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [8] 0 0
Tennessee
Country [9] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [9] 0 0
Texas
Country [10] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [10] 0 0
Virginia
Country [11] 0 0
United States of America
State/province [11] 0 0
Washington

Funding & Sponsors
Primary sponsor type
Commercial sector/industry
Name
Bicara Therapeutics
Address
Country

Ethics approval
Ethics application status

Summary
Brief summary
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 0 0
Address 0 0
Country 0 0
Phone 0 0
Fax 0 0
Email 0 0
Contact person for public queries
Name 0 0
Carrie Smith, Senior Director, Clinical Operations
Address 0 0
Country 0 0
Phone 0 0
1-617-468-4219
Fax 0 0
Email 0 0
Contact person for scientific queries

No information has been provided regarding IPD availability


What supporting documents are/will be available?

No Supporting Document Provided



Results publications and other study-related documents

No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.