Oncologie Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration With Merck to Evaluate Bavituximab in Combination With KEYTRUDA (Pembrolizumab)

Oncologie, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative oncology treatments targeting the tumor microenvironment, announced that it has entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with Merck (known as MSD outside the US and Canada) to evaluate the combination of Oncologie’s investigational drug Bavituximab, an antibody that blocks the activity of phosphatidylserine (PS), and Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal cancer.

Under the terms of the agreement, Oncologie will conduct a Phase 2 single arm open-label study to determine the efficacy and safety of Bavituximab in combination with KEYTRUDA in patients who have advanced gastric and gastroesophageal cancer, after they have failed at least one line of treatment. The study is expected to enroll approximately 80 patients in the U.S., United Kingdom, Korea and Taiwan. The study is anticipated to start enrollment in the second half of 2019.

“Gastric cancer is an area of significant unmet medical need in many parts of the world and we are committed to understanding the clinical benefit of Bavituximab and KEYTRUDA in this difficult-to-treat cancer,” said Laura Benjamin, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Oncologie. “This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to the goal of improving the lives of cancer patients in meaningful ways.”

Keytruda is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.