The planned Phase I/Ib trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of bavituximab in combination with durvalumab in multiple solid tumours
AstraZeneca has announced that it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration with Peregrine Pharmaceuticals. The partnership is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Peregrine's investigational phosphatidylserine (PS)-signalling pathway inhibitor, bavituximab, in combination with AstraZeneca's investigational anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, durvalumab (MEDI4736). The planned Phase I/Ib trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of bavituximab in combination with durvalumab in multiple solid tumours.
AstraZeneca and Peregrine will collaborate on a non-exclusive basis, to evaluate the combination of bavituximab and durvalumab with chemotherapy as a potential treatment in various solid tumours. The Phase I part of the trial is expected to establish a recommended dose regimen for the combination and the Phase Ib part of the trial will assess the safety and efficacy of the investigational combination. The initial trial will be conducted by Peregrine.
Bavituximab and durvalumab are investigational immunotherapies with different mechanisms that assist the body's immune system in fighting cancer.
Mr Robert Iannone, head of Immuno-Oncology, Global Medicines Development, at AstraZeneca said, "We believe that combination therapy in immuno-oncology has the potential to be a novel and highly effective approach to treating cancer. Our partnership with Peregrine provides the opportunity to explore an exciting, novel combination that could deliver important clinical benefit to patients across a range of cancers."
Mr Steven W King, president and chief executive officer of Peregrine said, "Data generated to date have shown significant potential for combining bavituximab with agents targeting the PD-1/PDL-1 pathway and we're excited to further explore this approach in studies with durvalumab. AstraZeneca, with its biologics arm MedImmune, is a recognised leader in the immuno-oncology field and this collaboration will play a key role as we continue to fully explore the potential of bavituximab in combination immunotherapies for a variety of clinical applications."
