Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen collaborate on lung cancer treatment

Janssen will carry out a phase 2 trial, which will test the tolerability and clinical activity of its investigational immunotherapy JNJ-64041757 with BMS’ PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, Opdivo (nivolumab), in NSCLC patients.

JNJ-64041757 is an antigen-presentation therapeutic which Janssen licensed from Aduro Biotech in 2014. It is currently in phase 1 clinical development for lung cancer.

It depends on live attenuated double-deleted (LADD) listeria monocytogenes. The strains engineered to induce an immune response against NSCLC tumors.

Opdivo is indicated to treat patients with NSCLC with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

It was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to secure regulatory approval anywhere in the world in July 2014.

Opdivo currently has regulatory approval in 54 countries including the US, Japan, and in the European Union.

Bristol-Myers Squibb global clinical research lead for oncology Jean Viallet said: “We are excited to collaborate with Janssen as we explore how the emerging science of antigen-presentation therapeutics, in combination with Opdivo, can potentially provide a new treatment approach for patients with lung cancer.”

BMS is also collaborating with AbbVie on a clinical trial combining both companies’ checkpoint inhibitors to treat relapsed extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

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 Rova-T, a delta-like protein 3 (DLL3)-targeted antibody-drug conjugate.

Image: Bristol-Myers Squibb building in Syracuse, New York, US. Photo: courtesy of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.