Lilly and Immunocore collaborate on melanoma
pharmafile | June 29, 2015 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | LY2157299, LY2801653, brett wells, immunocore, lilly
Eli Lilly is teaming up again with UK biotech Immunocore in order to work together on immunotherapy-based clinical trials.
Specifically they’re looking to explore the utility of Oxford-based Immunocore’s lead T-cell receptor based investigational therapeutic, IMCgp100, in combination with Lilly’s galunisertib (LY2157299) and merestinib (LY2801653) for the treatment of melanoma.
The goal of the collaboration is to identify combination regimens that provide synergies in efficacy and durability in patients with metastatic cutaneous and uveal melanomas.
This marks the second big pharma collaboration with Immunocore in as many months, and follows on from its foray with AstraZeneca to launch early-stage studies of potential new cancer treatments.
It is also the second time both firms have struck a deal, arriving behind last year’s pact to research and develop novel T cell-based cancer treatments.
Under the terms of this agreement Immunocore and Lilly will conduct a Phase Ib/II clinical study evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of IMCgp100 in combination with galunisertib in metastatic cutaneous melanoma.
Then a Phase Ib/II study will be conducted combining IMCgp100 with merestinib in metastatic uveal melanoma, with Lilly acting as the trial sponsor.
“This collaboration with Immunocore underscores Lilly’s commitment to discovering the potential of combination therapies, which will be key to the future of cancer care for people fighting diseases such as melanoma,” says Richard Gaynor who is the senior vice president for product development and medical affairs at Lilly Oncology.
IMCgp100 and galunisertib are members of a new class of cancer treatments known as immunotherapies, which are designed to enhance the body’s own immune system in fighting cancer and whose mechanisms of action have the potential to be complementary.
“We are very pleased to be able to announce a second collaboration with Lilly after entering into a collaboration last year,” says Eliot Forster, chief executive of Immunocore.
The studies are expected to begin in 2016 and no financial terms have been disclosed.
Brett Wells
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