AstraZeneca and Forty Seven are evaluating a new triple combination therapy clinical trial that has the potential to create additional opportunities to further optimise treatment for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Forty Seven’s CD47 antibody, ‘5F9’, will be tested in combination with rituximab and Calquence (acalabrutinib) for the aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).
The study aims to build upon the promising results already reported from a Phase Ib study of 5F9 in combination with rituximab in NHL patients by including a third agent, acalabrutinib, to further optimise the treatment of patients.
The collaboration will “expand the breadth of our 5F9 development program to include an additional triplet regimen, with the potential to offer patients a treatment option that is more easily administered and the benefit of multiple distinct approaches to treating cancer,” said Craig Gibbs, chief business officer at Forty Seven Inc.
The BTK inhibition has “already demonstrated therapeutic potential in patients with B-cell lymphomas” he continued, “and we believe that harnessing this approach while also activating the macrophage component of the innate immune system could enable more benefit than either strategy alone. With today’s announcement, we are now pursuing three combination approaches reflecting our deep commitment to meeting the needs of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.”
