Innate Pharma (EPA:IPH) has lined up back-to-back clinical trial readouts for the final months of 2016. The French immuno-oncology player is set to post first looks at data on drugs being developed with AstraZeneca ($AZN), Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) and its in-house teams.
Lirilumab, an anti-KIR monoclonal antibody licensed to Bristol-Myers, is the most advanced of the clinical programs. Innate wrapped up enrollment in a Phase II trial of the drug back in 2014, and is now nearing the release of an analysis of the primary endpoint of leukemia-free survival. Those data have long been tipped to drop in 2016, but Innate has now beefed up its schedule of readouts for the final months of the year.
The latest rundown of anticipated readouts for 2016 includes the release of safety and preliminary efficacy data from trials combining lirilumab with Bristol-Myers’ Opdivo and Yervoy. Those Phase I trials in advanced refractory solid tumors will provide an early hint of whether lirilumab can play a role in the collection of cancer combinations Bristol-Myers is lining up. Bristol-Myers licensed the monoclonal antibody in 2011 for $35 million (€31 million) upfront and up to $430 million in milestones.
Innate will sandwich the publication of data from the three lirilumab trials in around the release of results from some of its other drugs. The schedule has gotten busier in recent months. Innate was advising investors to expect data from a Phase I/II of AstraZeneca-partnered anti-NKG2A antibody monalizumab in 2017, but pulled forward the anticipated release date this week. The goal now is to post safety and early activity data from the ovarian cancer study at a conference in late November.
Management is also aspiring to share preliminary clinical data on IPH4102 at a as-yet-unidentified conference before 2016 is out. That Phase I trial is looking at IPH4102 in cutaneous T cell lymphomas, initially in a dose-escalation stage.
While the clinical program for IPH4102 is at an early phase, it is an important part of Innate’s long-term plans. Innate has retained full rights to anti-KIR3DL2 cytotoxic monoclonal antibody IPH4102 and plans to use the drug to spearhead its attempts to build a fully integrated biopharma firm.