Ono, BMS, Kyowa Hakko Kirin in Immunotherapy Pact

Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., and Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. have entered into a clinical trial collaboration to conduct a Phase I combination study with Opdivo (nivolumab), a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, and mogamulizumab, an anti-CCR4 antibody. The study will be conducted in Japan and will evaluate the safety, tolerability and anti-tumor activity of the combination as a potential treatment for advanced or metastatic solid tumors.
 
Opdivo, launched in Japan in September 2014 for unresectable melanoma, is being developed in multiple tumor types in more than 50 clinical trials worldwide. Mogamulizumab was launched in Japan in May 2012 for relapsed or refractory CCR4-positive Adult T-cell Leukemia-Lymphoma (ATL), and granted the indication expansion in March 2014 for relapsed or refractory CCR4-positive Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma (PTCL) and Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL).
 
Opdivo and mogamulizumab are immunotherapies, which are designed to harness the body’s own immune system in fighting cancer by targeting distinct regulatory components of the immune system. Preclinical evidence for each therapy suggests the combination may lead to an enhanced anti-tumor immune response compared to either agent alone.