Tecemotide
A MUC1 peptide vaccine for lung cancer
Tecemotide is a liposomal vaccine built on the core peptide of MUC1, a glycoprotein that cancers overexpress and abnormally glycosylate. It aims to train T cells to attack tumour cells. In the phase 3 START trial in stage III lung cancer, it did not significantly improve overall survival, though patients who had received concurrent chemoradiotherapy lived ten months longer.
What is it?
MUC1 is a cell-membrane glycoprotein found on breast, lung and other epithelial tissues. In cancer it becomes overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated, exposing its core peptide repeats to the immune system. Tecemotide packages that peptide in a liposome; in preclinical studies it induced T-cell proliferation in response to MUC1 and interferon-gamma production.
A phase 2 trial in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer found median survival 4.2 months longer with tecemotide plus best supportive care (17.2 against 13.0 months, not significant) and a higher three-year survival rate (31% against 17%). The phase 3 START trial then randomised 1,513 patients with stage III disease after chemoradiotherapy. Median overall survival was 25.6 months against 22.3 months on placebo, not statistically significant (hazard ratio 0.88). In the 65% who had received concurrent chemoradiotherapy, survival was 30.8 against 20.6 months.
Other trials have been modest: in early breast cancer it did not improve pathological response, and in multiple myeloma it induced a MUC1 immune response in 47% of patients without conventional clinical responses. It has not been approved.
At a Glance
Every value in this table is printed from the Grey Peptides dataset, the same record the compound explorer and comparison tool read, so the three can never disagree.
Published Research
Studies of tecemotide, from their PubMed abstracts.
START phase 3 in stage III lung cancer
Among 1,239 analysed patients, median overall survival was 25.6 months with tecemotide and 22.3 with placebo (HR 0.88, p = 0.123); after concurrent chemoradiotherapy it was 30.8 against 20.6 months (HR 0.78, p = 0.016), with no difference after sequential chemoradiotherapy.
Phase 2 survival update
Median survival was 17.2 months with L-BLP25 plus best supportive care against 13.0 months with supportive care alone (HR 0.745, not significant); three-year survival was 31% against 17% (P = 0.035).
Early breast cancer
Adding tecemotide to neoadjuvant therapy did not change residual cancer burden (36.4% vs 31.9%, p = 0.40) or complete response (22.5% vs 17.4%), and did not increase toxicity.
Multiple myeloma
In 34 patients, tecemotide induced or augmented a MUC1-specific immune response in 47%, with on-treatment slowing of M-protein rise in 45% of evaluable patients but no conventional clinical responses.
How tecemotide works
Tecemotide was designed to target tumour-associated MUC1, which becomes overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated in cancer, exposing immunogenic tandem repeats in its extracellular domain.
Side Effects & Contraindications
Reported Side Effects
From the studies above.
Contraindications & Cautions
No label; it is investigational.
Legal Status
Tecemotide is investigational.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is tecemotide?
An investigational liposomal vaccine built on the core peptide of MUC1, designed to make the immune system attack cancer cells that overexpress it.
?Did tecemotide work in lung cancer?
Not overall: in the phase 3 START trial median survival was 25.6 against 22.3 months, not significant, although patients who had received concurrent chemoradiotherapy lived 30.8 against 20.6 months.
?Was it tested in other cancers?
Yes, in early breast cancer, where it did not improve response to neoadjuvant therapy, and in multiple myeloma, where it induced immune responses without conventional clinical responses.
?Why did the trial results depend on earlier treatment?
In START, patients who had received chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time lived longer with tecemotide (30.8 against 20.6 months), while those treated sequentially saw no difference. A subgroup finding like this needs confirming in a new trial before it can guide treatment.
?Why were some patients excluded from the main analysis?
Of 1,513 randomised patients, 274 were excluded from the primary analysis because of a clinical hold during the trial, leaving 829 on tecemotide and 410 on placebo.
References
- [clinical-trial] Butts C, et al. "Tecemotide (L-BLP25) versus placebo after chemoradiotherapy for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (START): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial." Lancet Oncol, 2014;15(1):59-68. PMID: 24331154.
- [clinical-trial] Butts C, et al. "Updated survival analysis in patients with stage IIIB or IV non-small-cell lung cancer receiving BLP25 liposome vaccine (L-BLP25): phase IIB randomized, multicenter, open-label trial." J Cancer Res Clin Oncol, 2011;137(9):1337-42. PMID: 21744082.
- [clinical-trial] Singer CF, et al. "Efficacy and safety of the therapeutic cancer vaccine tecemotide (L-BLP25) in early breast cancer: Results from a prospective, randomised, neoadjuvant phase II study (ABCSG 34)." Eur J Cancer, 2020;132:43-52. PMID: 32325419.
- [clinical-trial] Rossmann E, et al. "Mucin 1-specific active cancer immunotherapy with tecemotide (L-BLP25) in patients with multiple myeloma: an exploratory study." Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2014;10(11):3394-408. PMID: 25483677.
- [pubmed] Wurz GT, et al. "Tecemotide: an antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy." Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2014;10(11):3383-93. PMID: 25483673.
Sources & Citations
Studies were read from their PubMed records, October 3, 2026.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before making health decisions.