Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

AbbVie, BMS Partner on Combined Checkpoint Inhibitor Trial

By Ryan Bushey | July 26, 2016

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and AbbVie will collaborate on a clinical trial combining both companies’ checkpoint inhibitors to treat relapsed extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

The Phase 1/2 clinical trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of BMS’s Opdivo and Opdivo + Yervoy in conjunction with AbbVie’s antibody therapy Rova-T.

Both Opdivo regimens alleviate immune suppression while Rova-T works by eradicating cells responsible for tumor growth, according a statement released by both firms.

The purpose of this experiment is to see if Rova-T’s targeted cell killing capabilities and antigen release could boost Opdivo’s immunotherapy features.

“We believe the combination of these cancer-fighting agents may offer patients a new treatment option in a disease with limited therapies,” said Scott J. Dylla, Ph.D., vice president, research and development, AbbVie, in a statement.

“By combining immune-checkpoint inhibitors that prime the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells with Rova-T’s approach to target cancer stem cells, we hope to build on our goal to develop differentiated treatments with therapeutic benefit that elevate the standard of care for small cell lung cancer patients,” he explained.

AbbVie’s candidate has shown positive early results for SCLC. The company spent $5.8 billion to acquire the startup, Stemcentrx that manufactured Rova-T, in May.

Results from this clinical trial raised the average survival rate of SCLC by only a month. Analysts saw more promise regarding the lung cancer data, published by BMS, unveiled at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in June, reported FiercePharma.

Opdivo + Yervoy produced a higher response rate in 57 percent of patients, which was more than double the rate Opdivo yielded in a lung cancer trial.

BMS has a lot of faith in Opdivo. It struck another clinical trial collaboration with Janssen to combine Opdivo with the company’s Phase I Live Attenuated Double–Deleted (LADD) Listerial monocytogenes cancer immunotherapy. The goal is to monitor the tolerability and clinical acitivity of this regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Patient enrollment for the combination trial with AbbVie is scheduled to begin this year.


Filed Under: Drug Discovery

 

Related Articles Read More >

Lokavant’s Spectrum v15 uses AI to cut trial-feasibility modeling from weeks to minutes
Prime time for peptide-based drug discovery 
Why smaller, simpler molecular glues are gaining attention in drug discovery
Glass vial, pipette and woman scientist in laboratory for medical study, research or experiment. Test tube, dropper and professional female person with chemical liquid for pharmaceutical innovation
Unlocking ‘bench-to-bedside’ discoveries requires better data sharing and collaboration
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE