An interesting aspect of this cooperation is that two unapproved agents are to be used in combination. I assume that this trial will not take place in the US.
Ice
Medarex and IDM Announce Partnership to Develop Cell Drugs(TM) in Combination With MDX-010
PARIS, and PRINCETON, N.J., June 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medarex, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDX - News) and Immuno-Designed Molecules S.A. (IDM), a private biopharmaceutical company in France, today announced that the two companies have entered into a joint development and supply agreement for the use of Medarex's MDX-010, an anti-CTLA-4 blocking antibody, in combination with selected IDM Cell Drugs(TM). This new program between IDM and Medarex adds to a long-standing partnership in which IDM has acquired the right of use to several Medarex antibodies in cell therapy.
Medarex's MDX-010 is a fully human antibody that has been shown to enhance immune responses in pre-clinical studies by prolonging the interaction between dendritic cells and T lymphocytes. In combination with selected IDM Cell Drugs, MDX-010 is expected to prolong the immunotherapeutic effect of these products.
The first Cell Drug to be tested in combination with MDX-010 is expected to be Eladem(TM) in hormone refractory prostate cancer patients. Eladem(TM) is comprised of IDM's Dendritophages® and recombinant PSA and has already completed a Phase II clinical trial. The potential benefits of Eladem combined with MDX-010 will be evaluated in a Phase II clinical trial, which the parties expect to begin this year.
"We are pleased to enhance our relationship with IDM by continuing MDX- 010's potential ability to boost the immune system with IDM's important Cell Drugs," said Dr. Donald L. Drakeman, President and CEO of Medarex.
"This new and important agreement reinforces the close ties we have with Medarex. We are eager to begin our next clinical trial and explore the potential of MDX-010 as a vaccine-boosting component of our cell therapy," said Dr. Jean-Loup Romet-Lemonne, President and CEO of IDM.
About IDM S.A.
IDM is a biopharmaceutical company developing a new family of immunotherapy products called Cell Drugs(TM) to fight cancer and other life- threatening diseases. IDM applies its proprietary technologies to selectively isolate, engineer, expand and activate specific cell populations which are involved in therapeutic vaccination. IDM's products are designed to boost the immune system, destroy residual tumor cells, and immunize patients to prevent tumor recurrence. IDM's most advanced product is in Phase III for the treatment of ovarian cancer. |
