REPL - Replimune in pact with Roche to study cancer drug combos

Replimune Group ( NASDAQ: REPL ), a biotech focused on cancer immunotherapies, announced a collaboration with Roche ( OTCQX:RHHBY ) ( OTCQX:RHHBF ) on Wednesday to study combination therapies for colorectal cancer (CRC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Per the terms of the agreement, the two companies will share the costs for the trial, which will be designed to study Replimune’s ( REPL ) therapeutic candidates RP2 and RP3 in combination with Roche’s ( OTCQX:RHHBY ) FDA-approved cancer therapies atezolizumab and bevacizumab.

The trial will be run by Replimune ( REPL ) using atezolizumab and bevacizumab supplied by Roche ( OTCQX:RHHBY ).

Specifically, Roche ( OTCQX:RHHBY ) will supply atezolizumab and bevacizumab to study in 2L HCC and 3L CRC combined with RP3. Atezolizumab and bevacizumab will also be available to study in combination with RP3 and RP2 in 1L HCC and 3L CRC, respectively.

Currently, atezolizumab is indicated in the U.S. in combination with bevacizumab for unresectable HCC. Meanwhile, bevacizumab is approved by the FDA to treat metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with chemotherapy.

Replimune ( REPL ) continues to expect the initiation of the Phase 2 program with RP2/3 in H1 2023.

In conjunction with the announcement, Replimune ( REPL ) shared initial data from the IGNYTE clinical trial in relation to the first 75 patients from the anti-PD1 failed cutaneous melanoma cohort, which is conducted with registrational intent.

IGNYTE is designed to evaluate RP1 (vusolimogene oderparepvec) in combination with nivolumab of Bristol Myers Squibb ( BMY ).

The company also updated data from the ongoing Phase 1 trials for RP2 and RP3 and provided an overview of its RP2/3 Phase 2 development programs.

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