Celldex collaborates with Roche on varlilumab/APDL3280A combination trial

Immunotherapy specialist Celldex Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CLDX) has entered into a clinical trial collaboration with Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX) to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary effects of varlilumab and APDL3280A together.

Varlilumab is a CD27-targeting investigational antibody, while MPDL3280A is Roche’s investigational cancer immunotherapy in a Phase I/II study in renal cell carcinoma. They are cancer immunotherapies designed to use the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Preclinical data suggest that the combination of the separate but complementary mechanisms of action that may enable the activation of T cells are synergistic and may enhance anti-tumor immune response compared to either agent alone.

In the Phase I study of varlilumab in multiple solid tumors, promising signs of clinical activity in patients with refractory renal cell carcinoma were observed, including a durable partial response that has continued to decrease in tumor volume over time and prolonged stable disease.