Another Sanofi setback for Innate
Innate Pharma’s focus might increasingly be shifting towards its Nectin-4-targeting ADC IPH4502, but NK-cell engagers are still an important part of its portfolio, and on Thursday one of these, IPH6401, took a blow. An early-stage multiple myeloma study of the Sanofi-partnered asset, which targets BCMA, will be stopped early and IPH6401 will only be developed in autoimmune indications, Innate said in its fourth-quarter earnings release. Innate has various Sanofi-partnered assets under a 2016 deal (covering IPH6401 and the CD123-targeted IPH6101), which was expanded in 2022 to include the B7-H3-targeted IPH62, and again in 2023 with an unnamed asset. However, Sanofi handed back rights last year to IPH67, presumably the undisclosed project. The big pharma still has an option over one further Innate NK engager. The groups are not the only ones active in NK-cell engagement but one rival, Affimed, has had more downs than ups of late. Innate also has a wholly owned NK-cell engager, the CD20-targeting IPH6501, in phase 1/2 for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, with initial data expected in late 2025.
Innate’s NK cell engagers
| Project | Description | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPH6501 | Anti-CD20 x NKp46 x CD16 x IL-2v NK-cell engager | Ph1/2 in NHL | Wholly owned; data due late 2025 |
| IPH6401 (SAR445514) | Anti-BCMA x NKp46 x CD16 NK-cell engager | Ph1/2 in r/r MM | Sanofi partnered; trial being terminated early; focus now on autoimmune disease |
| IPH6101 (SAR443579) | Anti-CD123 x NKp46 x CD16 NK-cell engager | Ph1/2 in haematologic malignancies | Sanofi partnered; data at EHA 2024; advanced to ph2 portion Apr 2024 |
| IPH62 | Anti-B7-H3 x NKp46 x CD16 NK-cell engager | Preclinical | Sanofi partnered |
| IPH67 | NK-cell engager, target undisclosed | Preclinical | Sanofi returned rights Oct 2024 |
Source: OncologyPipeline & company release.
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