LAVA Therapeutics NV LVTX has entered into a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Merck & Co Inc MRK to evaluate its anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in combination with LAVA-1207 in patients with therapy refractory metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will provide pembrolizumab for the dose escalation and expansion phases of LAVA’s ongoing Phase 1/2a study of LAVA-1207, with the combination arm expected to be initiated in the first half of 2024.
Enrollment and dose escalation will also continue in the LAVA-1207 monotherapy and interleukin-2 arms of the study.
“We are excited to work with Merck as we continue to unlock the therapeutic potential of LAVA-1207 and explore its potential capabilities in combination with KEYTRUDA,” said Stephen Hurly, President and Chief Executive Officer of LAVA.
The company says that, to date, LAVA-1207 has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and shown preliminary signs of anti-tumor activity.
LAVA-1207 is a proprietary Gammabody that conditionally activates Vγ9Vδ2 (Vgamma9 Vdelta2) T cells, upon crosslinking to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), to trigger the potent and preferential killing of PSMA-positive tumor cells in patients with prostate cancer, including metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Price Action: LVTX shares are up 50% at $2.34 on the last check Thursday.
Photo via Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
