Second deal for BioLineRx to investigate BL-8040 with Keytruda

Israeli drug developer BioLineRx (Nasdaq: BLRX) has signed a collaboration agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA, for the investigation of BL-8040 in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in pancreatic cancer.

The study will be conducted as an investigator-sponsored study, as part of a strategic clinical research collaboration between Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the US and Canada, and MD Anderson Cancer Center aimed at evaluating Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda in combination with various treatments and novel drugs.

The open-label, single center, single-arm Phase II study aims to evaluate the potential of BL-8040 with Keytruda in pancreatic cancer and will focus on the mechanism of action by which both drugs might synergize. In addition to assessing clinical response, the study will include multiple assessments to evaluate the biological anti-tumor effects induced by the combination. BioLineRx will supply BL-8040 for the study, which is expected to commence later this year.