Tebentafusp: First Approval

Tebentafusp (tebentafusp-tebn; Kimmtrak^®) is a first-in-class, bispecific gp100 peptide-HLA-A*02:01 directed T cell receptor (TCR) CD3 T cell engager being developed by Immunocore for the treatment of uveal melanoma and malignant melanoma. The TCR arm of tebentafusp binds to HLA-A*02:01-positive uveal melanoma cells and activates polyclonal T cells, through CD3, to release inflammatory cytokines and cytolytic proteins, resulting in the direct lysis of tumour cells. In January 2022, tebentafusp received its first approval in the USA for the treatment of HLA-A*02:01-positive adults with unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma, and in February 2022 received a Positive Opinion from the EU Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for the treatment of uveal melanoma. Tebentafusp is under regulatory review for the treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma in the UK, Australia and Canada. Clinical studies of tebentafusp are underway for uveal melanoma and cutaneous melanoma in several countries worldwide. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of tebentafusp leading to this first approval for unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma.