Bristol-Myers Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration With Celldex Therapeutics
Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that it is entering into a clinical trial collaboration with Celldex Therapeutics. Both companies will be collaborating in research to evaluate the combination of immunotherapies nivolumab and varlilumab. The safety, tolerability, and efficacy of both drugs will be tested in a Phase I/II study. The study will test the drugs against various tumors, such as those present in non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic melanoma, ovarian, colorectal, squamous cell head, and neck cancers.
Nivolumab is produced by Bristol-Myers and is classified as a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, while varlilumab, produced by Celldex, is a CD27 targeting investigational antibody. Both drugs are considered immunotherapy treatments, part of a new class of cancer treatments that are different from traditional cancer treatments because they use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. The companies have announced that the drugs might be more effective when used in combination versus being used alone.
Michael Giordano, the SVP of Oncology and Immunosciences Development at Bristol-Myers, released says that this partnership will benefit the company’s clinical development program and the patient population. “The clinical collaboration with Celldex and the opportunity to explore the potential benefits of combination treatment with nivolumab and varlilumab adds to our robust clinical development program focused on delivering the promise of long-term survival benefits to a broader patient population,” said Giordano.
Anthony Marucci, president and CEO of Celldex, echoes the sentiments of Giordano. Marucci said that the preclinical data suggested that the combination of both drugs could help maximize the body’s immune response to various cancers.
Reports say that the terms of the partnership include a $5 million payment from Bristol-Myers to Celldex. The companies will also share research and development costs. The study, which is currently scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, will be conducted by Celldex.