https://www.adnkronos.com/dragonfly-therapeuti...(Adnkronos) - Dragonfly now wholly owns the IL12 cytokine, currently in mid-Phase 1 dose escalation as a monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab. Dragonfly's IL12 was designed to combine well with a broad range of oncology agents including radiation, chemo, PD1s and Dragonfly's proprietary NK cell engaging drug candidates including its HER2-targeting TriNKET in Phase 2 and EGFR-targeting TriNKET in Phase 1.
WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dragonfly Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel immunotherapies, today announced it now owns all rights to develop DF6002, its novel interleukin-12 (IL-12) cytokine investigational immunotherapy program, which is in Phase 1 clinical development, with dose escalation progressing successfully in monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab, in the U.S. and in Europe. Clinical development is currently being carried out by Bristol Myers Squibb, but will be transferred to Dragonfly over the coming weeks.
"We are very excited to have the Dragonfly developed IL12 asset back," said Joseph Eid, MD, Dragonfly's President of Research and Development, who previously led the pioneering clinical development of KEYTRUDA®. "Given the encouraging profile we have seen both in preclinical models and in the clinic to date, we are accelerating DF6002's development across a range of indications and combinations."
"We have great respect for Bristol Myers Squibb, whose broad range of oncology agents and talented, experienced and committed team have made it a strong partner," said Bill Haney, Co-founder and CEO of Dragonfly Therapeutics.
Since an original 2017 collaboration focusing on hematology malignancies, BMS and Dragonfly have entered multiple additional collaborations which include both oncology and neuroinflammation targets. BMS has licensed six Dragonfly TriNKET drug candidates and has two of them presently in the clinic. BMS licensed a TriNKET from Dragonfly for neuroinflammation in January 2023.
"We appreciate the BMS team's hard work on the development of DF6002, the most advanced drug in Dragonfly's rich cytokine pipeline," said Bill Haney. "And we are excited that Dr. Eid, who has had such an extraordinary career rapidly and effectively advancing drugs in oncology, will now take charge of accelerating DF6002 in the clinic."
DF6002, Dragonfly's extended half-life IL12 cytokine, is an investigational immunotherapy being evaluated alone and in combination with nivolumab in participants with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors [NCT04423029]. DF6002 is a monovalent IL12 immunoglobulin Fc fusion protein proposed to achieve strong anti-tumor efficacy by establishing an inflammatory tumor microenvironment necessary for productive anti-tumor responses. DF6002 has the potential to stimulate effective anti-tumor immunity in patients who are not eligible or not adequately responding to current therapies. DF6002 is the most advanced in a pipeline of cytokines that Dragonfly is developing to address the high unmet need in patients with advanced cancer.
Dragonfly Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing therapies that use its novel bispecific antibody technology to harness the body's immune system to bring breakthrough treatments to patients. In addition to its wholly owned clinical assets, Dragonfly has a deep pipeline of wholly owned preclinical candidates discovered using its proprietary platform, as well as productive collaborations with Merck, AbbVie, Gilead and Bristol Myers Squibb in a broad range of disease areas.
For more information visit: www.dragonflytx.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/dragonfly-therapeutics-inc./ https://twitter.com/dragonflytx
DRAGONFLY MEDIA CONTACT:Anne Deconinck | anne@dragonflytx.com
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