BioInvent and MSD to evaluate new metastatic melanoma treatment
BioInvent, known for its innovative cancer immunotherapies, is expanding its partnership with MSD to test BI-1607 in combination with ipilimumab and KEYTRUDA in a phase II trial for metastatic melanoma. The phase II study aims to enhance the efficacy of these existing treatments while reducing toxicity, potentially offering a more tolerable and effective treatment regimen.
BioInvent is a Swedish biotech company specializing in immune-modulatory antibodies for cancer immunotherapy. The company is conducting six clinical programs with five proprietary antibodies across various cancer indications, with multiple data readouts expected in the coming months.
Cooperation with MSD is being expanded
BioInvent has several ongoing partnerships with a number of large global pharmaceutical companies. Among these, four consist of clinical trial supply and collaboration agreements with MSD International Business GmbH, the latest of which was announced in April 2024. Read more here. This week, the company announced that it had entered its fifth agreement with MSD. This is focused on evaluating BioInvent’s anti-FcγRIIB antibody BI-1607 in combination with ipilimumab and KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in a phase II study targeting metastatic melanoma.
The phase II study is open-label and will test various dosing levels of BI-1607 with reduced doses of ipilimumab in patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. The goal is to build on the promising results from phase I and preclinical studies, exploring the efficacy and safety of this new triplet combination.
Strong rationale
Ipilimumab, a CTLA-4 antibody, and anti-PD-1 therapies – like KEYTRUDA – are standard treatments for metastatic melanoma. However, the high toxicity of ipilimumab limits its tolerability. Looking at BI-1607, the drug candidate is engineered to enhance the efficacy and overcome resistance to existing cancer treatments, including targeted monoclonal antibodies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Preclinical studies suggest that combining BI-1607 with lower doses of ipilimumab and KEYTRUDA could enhance treatment efficacy while reducing toxicity, potentially offering a more tolerable and effective treatment regimen.
Martin Welschof, CEO of BioInvent, highlighted the importance of this collaboration in expanding the BI-1607 program and potentially improving cancer treatment outcomes by enhancing tolerability and efficacy through innovative combination therapies.
“In our recent phase I study, BI-1607 was safe and well-tolerated and showed early signs of clinical activity when administered in combination with trastuzumab. We look forward to broadening the clinical evaluation of this promising antibody in a combination that has the potential to make a major impact on cancer care.”
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