Noxopharm Ltd (ASX:NOX) has made material progress in its Phase 1 pilot trial assessing the potential for Veyonda® to increase the activity of Bristol Myers Squibb’s immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) Opdivo® (nivolumab) in different types of cancer.
The IONIC Safety Steering Committee reviewed all available safety data from the trial – the 1200mg dose was found to be safe and well tolerated, allowing NOX to progress to the next stage.
The next patient cohort will be treated with an increased Veyonda dose of 1800mg, with the trial now operating across six active sights in Sydney and regional New South Wales.
The trial is being led by principal investigator Professor Paul de Souza, in line with research agreements with both Noxopharm and Bristol Myers Squibb to administer Veyonda and Opdivo to up to 30 patients.
Making good progress
“The investigation of checkpoint inhibitor resistance is very important at a time when more and more patients are receiving these drugs,” Professor Paul de Souza said.
“We are making good progress with this trial and look forward to treating this next cohort of patients at the higher dose level.”
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have garnered some promising results in certain cancer types recently, but show little effect in most cancers.
The aim of the IONIC study is to increase the activity of ICI nivolumab by using Veyonda to overcome tumour resistance to ICI therapy.
“We’re pleased that the enrolment of this trial has accelerated and a Veyonda dose of 1200mg is safe and well tolerated in combination with Opdivo,” Noxopharm CEO Dr Gisela Mautner said.
“This trial is exciting as it is our first investigation into the combination of Veyonda with an immuno-oncology drug.
“Immuno-oncology is a relatively new but growing cancer therapy market, and patients who are resistant to these drugs are generally left with very few treatment options. Our overarching goal is to improve this situation.”