Transgene SA has stopped developing an investigational lung cancer drug after patients did not respond to the treatment, missing the main goal of a mid-stage study.

The French biotechnology company evaluated TG4010 in combination with chemotherapy and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Opdivo as an initial treatment for patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer with low levels of PD-L1, a protein found on some cancer cells.

Data from the phase 2 trial showed that the response rate to the combination treatment among the 40 enrolled patients was insufficient. The company plans to present the full results of the study at an upcoming scientific conference.

The trial was conducted under an agreement with Bristol-Myers, which provided Opdivo.

Transgene has another cancer treatment in its pipeline, TG4001, for cancers associated with the human papillomavirus. The next study readouts for that therapy are due in the first half of 2020.