BRIEF—AVEO Oncology collaborates with AstraZeneca

US biotech firm AVEO Oncology (Nasdaq: AVEO) has entered into a clinical collaboration with AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Anglo-Swedish pharma major’s Imfinzi (durvalumab),a human monoclonal antibody directed against programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), in combination with Fotivda (tivozanib), AVEO’s oral, once-daily, potent and highly-selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGFR-TKI) in first-line hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer, in a Phase I/II study.

AVEO will serve as the study sponsor, with study costs shared equally by both parties and clinical drug supplied by each respective company. The Phase I portion of the study is expected to commence in 2019.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with AstraZeneca to explore another tivozanib-immunotherapy combination and look forward to understanding the potential of combining tivozanib with durvalumab in liver cancer,” said Michael Bailey, president and chief executive officer of AVEO.

“TKI-immunotherapy combinations have demonstrated important clinical potential across multiple tumor types, though toxicities associated with these combinations have limited their potential use. Our goal is to establish tivozanib as the TKI of choice for use with immunotherapies by demonstrating efficacy with reduced toxicity,” he added.