OncoMed and Lilly enter clinical supply agreement to evaluate the combination of demcizumab and Alimta in Lung Cancer

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Eli Lilly and Company.

Demcizumab, OncoMed’s anti-DLL4 antibody, is being tested in combination with Lilly’s Alimta^® (pemetrexed for injection) and carboplatin for the treatment of first-line advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Under the terms of this agreement, Lilly will provide clinical supply of Alimta for OncoMed’s ongoing Phase 2 DENALI trial.

The OncoMed Lilly agreement will improve understanding of three-drug combinations

“This agreement with Lilly strengthens our efforts to investigate demcizumab as a key component alongside Alimta and platinum chemotherapy for the initial treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer,” said Paul J. Hastings, OncoMed’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “These data will add to the growing body of research to determine whether certain three-drug combinations may help improve patient outcomes.”

OncoMed initiated enrollment in the randomized Phase 2 DENALI trial in January 2015 to test the efficacy and safety of demcizumab in combination with Alimta and carboplatin. Alimta is approved as an initial treatment in combination with cisplatin for locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC for patients with non-squamous histology. The DENALI trial is expected to enroll approximately 200 patients with first-line metastatic Stage IV non-squamous NSCLC whose tumors do not have an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutation.

For more information about OncoMed, please visit www.oncomed.com.

For more information about Eli Lilly and Company, please visit www.lilly.com.