
AstraZeneca Enters Collaboration with Pharmacyclics and Janssen to Test Hematologic Cancer Treatment
AstraZeneca announced a partnership with Pharmacyclics and Janssen for combination trials of MEDI4736 (AstraZeneca) with Imbruvica (Pharmacyclics and Janssen) for the treatment of hematologic cancers.
AstraZeneca announced on Nov. 4, 2014 a collaborative study with Pharmacyclics and Janssen to test the efficacy of MEDI4736 combined with Imbruvica (ibrutinib) in the treatment of patients with hematologic cancers. Under the terms of the agreement, Pharmacyclics, a biopharmaceutical company that designs, develops, and commercializes novel therapies to improve quality of life, will conduct the trial.
Pharmacyclics’
AstraZeneca’s MEDI4736 is an investigational anti-PD-LI immune checkpoint inhibitor. It blocks the signals that help tumors avoid detection by the immune system. Imbruvica is an oral therapy that inhibits the BTK protein and blocks signals that tell malignant B cells to multiply and spread uncontrollably. Autoimmune disorders and B-cell malignancies are
“We are committed to progressing our strong immuno-oncology pipeline as rapidly as possible. Our partnership with Pharmacyclics and Janssen supports our exploration of the potential of anti-PD-L1 in hematological cancers—an area of significant unmet need as many lymphoma patients still progress despite treatment. It is also further evidence of our belief that combination therapies have the potential to be one of the most effective ways of treating cancer,” said Briggs Morrison, executive vice-president, Global Medicines Development, and chief medical officer, AstraZeneca, in a press release.
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