MedImmune and Incyte To Collaborate On Phase I/II Oncology Study
By Cyndi Root
AstraZeneca announced in a press release that its subsidiary, MedImmune, has agreed to collaborate with Incyte Corporation on Phase I/II oncology studies. The two will conduct clinical trials to evaluate MedImmune’s MEDI4736 in combination with Incyte’s INCB24360. The two agents are both in a new class of oncology treatments known as immunotherapy, which manipulates the immune system to treat cancer growths. The collaboration is a result of pre-clinical studies indicating the combination of the two drugs may have anti-tumor effects.
Bahija Jallal, EVP of MedImmune said, “Our partnership with Incyte is further evidence of our belief that combination therapies have the potential to be one of the most effective ways of treating cancer.” Hervé Hoppenot, President and CEO of Incyte said, “Research collaborations that evaluate combinations of novel immunotherapies across a broad range of indications have the potential to accelerate our understanding of this rapidly evolving field.”
MedImmune and Incyte
MedImmune and Incyte will collaborate, however the terms are non-exclusive, so each company will retain certain rights. Both will fund the studies in equal proportion, but Incyte will be responsible for conducting the studies. Specifically, the studies will evaluate the combination drug treatment in solid tumors such as squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, pancreatic cancer, metastatic melanoma, and non-small cell lung cancer. Phase I studies will establish a dosing regimen while Phase II will evaluate safety and efficacy. If the results are positive or encouraging, the two companies may move forward in investigating the drug combination.
MEDI4736
MedImmune’s MEDI4736 is an investigational anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor. It stops tumors from hiding from the immune system by blocking signals that help it evade detection. Along with the planned studies with Incyte, MedImmune and AstraZeneca are running other trials of the agent in combination with IRESSA and tremelimumab. AstraZeneca recently announced that MEDI4736 has entered Phase III trials for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other cancers.
INCB24360
Incyte’s INCB24360 is an oral first-in-class inhibitor of indoleamine dioxygenase (IDO) that enhances immune cell function to combat the tumor. INCB24360 is effective as a single agent and in combination with immunotherapy agents. The investigational agent is also in trials to treat metastatic melanoma and ovarian cancer.