ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07744126Updated Oct 27, 2026

A Study to Assess Adverse Events, Change in Disease Activity and Optimal Dose of Intravenous (IV) Telisotuzumab Adizutecan With IV Pembrolizumab for First-Line Treatment of Adult Participants With Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

A Phase 2 interventional study of Telisotuzumab Adizutecan and Pembrolizumab in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, sponsored by AbbVie. Recruiting at 5 sites in 3 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-27.

Sponsored by AbbVie · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Sep 2026; still recruiting 2 months later.
Updated Oct 27, 2026Now RecruitingFirst sites in Taiwan, United States and Japan+3 moreGo to Updates ↓

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Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
150
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-14

Among 14 studies in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck by AbbVie — 5 open to participants now, 7 under way, none of them phase 3. Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck · AbbVie.

Planned enrollment
6th of 14
150 · median 116
Started
2026
with 1 other
Phase 2
Only one
of the 14
Registered
13th of 14
by date

Among the 14 studies in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck by AbbVie, this one is the 6th largest by planned enrollment, is one of 2 that started in 2026, is the only one in phase 2, and was the 13th registered.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

2,019 studies on the registry are indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; 573 are open to participants now.

Browse Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck studies →

Open to participants now

5 of the 14 studies in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck by AbbVie are open now, in 9 countries. Recruiting first, the newest first:

By country, each count listing its studies:

All 5 open studies →

Who these studies take

Of the 435 Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck studies recruiting now, 311 (71%) set no upper age limit and 87 (20%) stop at 75 or younger; 5 take children under 18; 13 take healthy volunteers.

This study: 18 Years and older · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.

The full table on the hub →

This tab as a report to print or save as PDF → With an account.

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Watch this landscapeDownload CSVNarrow it in search →With an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 14 studies in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck by AbbVie, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the seventh most common cancer worldwide with an annual incidence of approximately 700,000 cases. This study aims to evaluate the change in disease activity and optimal dose, and optimal dose of telisotuzumab adizutecan in combination with pembrolizumab as first-line treatment in participants with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Telisotuzumab adizutecan is an investigational drug being developed for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic HNSCC. Participants are placed into 3 treatment groups called treatment arms. Each group receives a different treatment. Adult participants diagnosed with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC who have not received prior systemic therapy for advanced disease and whose tumors express c-Met protein will be enrolled. Approximately 180 participants will be enrolled in the study at sites worldwide.

Participants will receive intravenous doses of telisotuzumab adizutecan with intravenous pembrolizumab, or standard of care (SOC) chemotherapy with pembrolizumab. Participants will receive treatment as part of a 67 weeks study duration.

There may be higher treatment burden for participants in this trial compared to their standard of care due to study procedures. Participants will attend regular visits every 3 weeks during the study at a hospital or clinic. The effects of the treatment will be checked by medical assessments, blood tests, checking for side effects and completing questionnaires.

03

Conditions studied

  • Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Keywords

  • Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Telisotuzumab Adizutecan
  • Pembrolizumab
  • Cancer
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of recurrent or head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that is considered incurable by local therapies.
  • (ECOG) performance status must be \<= 1.
  • Must have c-Met protein expression by central c-Met immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining at any intensity in >= 25% tumor cells.
  • Must have per (RECIST) v1.1.
  • Must have had no prior systemic therapy for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have history of interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis that required treatment with systemic , or any evidence of active interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis on screening chest computed tomography (CT) scan.
  • Have any major, life-threatening conditions.
  • should be at least 3 months.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(7)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Histologically or cytologically confirmed

The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).

Your pathology report is the document that shows this.

Metastases

Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Measurable disease

The amount of disease can be tracked with a defined measurement, so the study can see whether it shrinks or grows. It might be a tumour measured on a scan or, in some blood cancers such as myeloma, a marker measured in blood or urine.

The criteria or the study team say which measurement counts — having no tumour visible on a scan does not by itself rule you out.

RECIST

The standard rules for measuring tumours on CT or MRI scans, to tell whether a cancer is shrinking, stable or growing during treatment.

“Measurable disease per RECIST 1.1” usually means at least one tumour 10 mm or more at its longest on a CT scan, or a lymph node 15 mm or more across its short axis.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
150 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Telisotuzumab Adizutecan Dose A + Pembrolizumab

    Participants will receive telisotuzumab adizutecan at Dose A with pembrolizumab, as part of the 67 weeks study duration.

    Drug: Telisotuzumab Adizutecan · Drug: Pembrolizumab

  • Experimental
    Telisotuzumab Adizutecan Dose B + Pembrolizumab

    Participants will receive telisotuzumab adizutecan at Dose B with pembrolizumab, as part of the 67 weeks study duration.

    Drug: Telisotuzumab Adizutecan · Drug: Pembrolizumab

  • Active comparator
    Pembrolizumab + Platinum Chemotherapy + Fluorouracil

    Participants will receive pembrolizumab with standard of care (SOC) platinum chemotherapy (investigator's choice of carboplatin or cisplatin) and fluorouracil (5-FU), as part of the 67 weeks study duration.

    Drug: Pembrolizumab · Drug: Carboplatin · Drug: Cisplatin · Drug: Fluorouracil

Interventions

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants with Adverse Events (AE)s

    An AE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence, inappropriate patient management decision, unintended disease or injury or any untoward clinical signs (including an abnormal laboratory finding) in participants, users or other persons whether or not related to the investigational medical device.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

  2. Objective Response (OR) Rate Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1

    OR is defined as participants achieving a best overall response of confirmed complete response (CR) or confirmed partial response (PR) based on Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR) assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

  3. Progression-Free Survival (PFS) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1

    PFS is defined as the time from randomization to the first occurrence of disease progression or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Duration of Response (DoR) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1

    DoR is defined as the time from the first objective response (complete response or partial response) to the first occurrence of disease progression or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

  2. Disease Control (DC) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1

    DC is defined as subjects achieving a best overall response of confirmed CR or confirmed PR, or stable disease (SD) based on BICR assessment per RECIST v1.1.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

  3. OR Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1

    OR based on investigator assessment is defined as participants achieving a best overall response of confirmed CR or confirmed PR based on investigator assessment.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

  4. PFS Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1

    PFS is defined as the time from date of randomization to the first documentation of radiographic progressive disease (PD) based on investigator assessment or death from any cause, whichever occurs first.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

  5. DoR Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1

    DoR based on investigator assessment is defined as the time from the initial response of confirmed CR or confirmed PR based on investigator assessment to radiographic PD based on investigator assessment, or death of any cause, whichever occurs first.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

  6. DC Rate Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1

    DC based on investigator assessment is defined as subjects achieving a best overall response of confirmed CR or confirmed PR, or SD based on investigator assessment.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

  7. Overall Survival (OS)

    OS is defined as the time from randomization to death from any cause.

    Time frame: Up to Approximately 67 weeks

07

Study locations

5 of 5 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — AbbVie is committed to responsible clinical trial data sharing. This includes access to anonymized, individual and trial-level data (analysis data sets), as well as other information.

Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan

Time frame: For details on when studies are available for sharing, visit https://vivli.org/ourmember/abbvie/

Access criteria: To learn more about the process, or to submit a request, visit the following link https://www.abbvieclinicaltrials.com/hcp/data-sharing/

Data sharing details ↗ · vivli.org

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

4 registry updates since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Sep 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Oct 2029, 37 months after the start.

Of 68 industry-sponsored phase 2 interventional studies under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck, half reached primary completion within 43 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 30 and three quarters within 60. This study's planned 37 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 366 studies reached it within 53 months; a quarter within 35 and three quarters within 82.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jul 30, 2026
First posted
Aug 4, 2026
StartActual
Sep 1, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Oct 2029
CompletionEst.
Oct 2029
Last update
Oct 27, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Status
Not yet recruiting→Recruiting
changed Sep 29, 2026
Sites
5 sites added — first sites in Taiwan, United States and Japan
Show 5 added (2 United States, 2 Taiwan, 1 Japan)
  • City Of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center /ID# 281939 · Duarte, United States
  • City of Hope - Atlanta /ID# 285268 · Newnan, United States
  • China Medical University Hospital /ID# 281502 · Taichung, Taiwan
  • Taipei Veterans General Hospital /ID# 281531 · Taipei, Taiwan
  • Kobe University Hospital /ID# 281770 · Kobe, Japan
across 3 updates, Sep 29, 2026 – Oct 27, 2026
Start date
Sep 30, 2026→Sep 1, 2026 (actual)
Sep 29, 2026
Primary outcomes
3 time frame changed
What changed in the outcomes
  • Time frameNumber of Participants with Adverse Events (AE)sUp to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
  • Time frameObjective Response (OR) Rate Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
  • Time frameProgression-Free Survival (PFS) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
Sep 29, 2026
Secondary outcomes
7 time frame changed
What changed in the outcomes
  • Time frameDuration of Response (DoR) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
  • Time frameDisease Control (DC) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
  • Time frameOR Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
  • Time framePFS Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
  • Time frameDoR Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
  • Time frameDC Rate Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
  • Time frameOverall Survival (OS)Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
Sep 29, 2026
Show all 4 updates
  1. Oct 27, 2026
    1 site added — first site in Japan
    Show site
    • Kobe University Hospital /ID# 281770 · Kobe, Japan
  2. Oct 16, 2026
    1 site added
    Show site
    • Taipei Veterans General Hospital /ID# 281531 · Taipei, Taiwan
  3. Oct 13, 2026
    Minor edits only
    + 1 other change: verification date
  4. Sep 29, 2026
    Not yet recruiting→Recruiting
    3 sites added — first sites in Taiwan and United States
    Show 3 added (2 United States, 1 Taiwan)
    • City Of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center /ID# 281939 · Duarte, United States
    • City of Hope - Atlanta /ID# 285268 · Newnan, United States
    • China Medical University Hospital /ID# 281502 · Taichung, Taiwan
    Start date Sep 30, 2026→Sep 1, 2026 (now actual)
    Primary outcomes 3 time frame changed
    What changed in the outcomes
    • Time frameNumber of Participants with Adverse Events (AE)sUp to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    • Time frameObjective Response (OR) Rate Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    • Time frameProgression-Free Survival (PFS) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    Secondary outcomes 7 time frame changed
    What changed in the outcomes
    • Time frameDuration of Response (DoR) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    • Time frameDisease Control (DC) Based on Blinded Independent Central Review Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    • Time frameOR Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    • Time framePFS Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    • Time frameDoR Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    • Time frameDC Rate Based on Investigator Assessment per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    • Time frameOverall Survival (OS)Up to Approximately 38 Months → Up to Approximately 67 weeks
    + 4 other changes: identifiers, verification date, description and arm descriptions

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07744126
Lead sponsor
AbbVie
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 4, 2026
Start date
Sep 1, 2026
Primary completion
Oct 2029 (estimated)
Completion
Oct 2029 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 27, 2026

Study contacts

ABBVIE CALL CENTER
Contact
abbvieclinicaltrials@abbvie.com
844-663-3742
ABBVIE INC.
study director · AbbVie

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drug tested here: Telisotuzumab adizutecan

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