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Arcus gets anti-CD73 small molecule buy-in
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Otsuka has bought into CD73 inhibition just three months after Novartis abandoned this mechanism of action. There is one difference: Arcus’s quemliclustat, into whose Japanese development Otsuka’s Taiho subsidiary opted in yesterday, is a small molecule, while Coherus’s NVS930, scrapped by Novartis in April, was a monoclonal antibody. Arcus this year plans to start the phase 3 Prism-1 study, comparing quemliclustat plus chemo versus chemo in first-line pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, having reported promising survival data in the Phase 1b Arc-8 trial. The group says CD73 causes production of immunosuppressive adenosine in the tumour microenvironment, and its expression is associated with poor prognosis in several cancers. However, Lilly earlier discontinued the small-molecule CD73 inhibitor LY3475070, and the protein approach is by no means dead: AstraZeneca’s oleclumab is in phase 3, and other clinical-stage MAbs include Innate Pharma’s IPH5301, Corvus’s mupadolimab and Servier’s Sym024; Bristol Myers Squibb’s BMS-986179 and Incyte’s uprevstobart are discontinued. Taiho bought the Arcus option in 2017 for $35m, and exercising quemliclustat rights was said to include up to $275m in milestones, but the exercise fee wasn’t disclosed.
Clinical-stage projects with activity on CD73
Project | Company | Status |
---|---|---|
Small molecules | ||
Quemliclustat | Arcus Biosciences | Ph1 Arc-8 trial in GI malignancies |
ATG-037 | Antengene Corporation | Ph1 Keytruda combo |
ORIC-533 | Oric Pharmaceuticals | Ph1 in multiple myeloma |
ABSK051 | Abbisko Therapeutics | Ph1 not yet recruiting |
Monoclonal antibodies | ||
Oleclumab | AstraZeneca | Ph3 Pacific-9 trial, Imfinzi combo in stage III NSCLC |
Uliledlimab | I-Mab Biopharma | Ph2 Tecentriq combo |
JAB-BX102 | Jacobio Pharmaceuticals | Ph1/2 +/- Keytruda |
IPH5301 | Innate Pharma | Ph1 Chances trial |
Mupadolimab | Corvus Pharmaceuticals | Ph1 +/- ciforadenant + Keytruda |
IBI325 | Innovent Biologics | Ph1 sintilimab combo |
Sym024 | Servier (ex Symphgen) | Ph1 +/- Sym021 |
PT199 | Phanes Therapeutics | Ph1 +/- Keytruda |
BR101 | BioRay Pharmaceutical | Ph1 |
PM1015 | Biotheus | Ph1 |
Source: OncologyPipeline.
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