ALX Oncology Inks Clinical Trial Collaboration Supply Deal With Eli Lilly For ALX148 Combination

(RTTNews) - ALX Oncology (ALXO) announced Thursday it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) to evaluate the combination of ALX148, a next generation CD47 blocker, and CYRAMZA (ramucirumab), Lilly's anti-VEGFR2 antibody, for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer. ALX Oncology owns worldwide commercial rights to ALX148.

Under the terms of the agreement, ALX Oncology will conduct a randomized Phase 2/3 study to evaluate the efficacy of ALX148 in combination with ramucirumab, trastuzumab, and paclitaxel for the treatment of patients whose tumors have progressed following treatment with HER2-targeted therapy and chemotherapy. Lilly will supply ramucirumab for this trial. Financial details of the collaboration agreement are undisclosed.

This clinical collaboration is based on compelling data from the ongoing ASPEN-01 Phase 1b trial in patients with HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer who had progressed on one or more lines of trastuzumab therapy.

ALX148 demonstrated a promising initial objective response rate of 64 percent with the combination with ramucirumab, trastuzumab and paclitaxel in patients who historically have low response rates and poor outcomes in this clinical setting.

Gastric cancer begins in the cells lining the inner wall of the stomach and spreads through the outer layers and eventually the body as it grows.