MSD collaboration to drive development of solid tumour combination therapy

Biotech company Dragonfly Therapeutics Inc has agreed to collaborate with Merck (MSD outside the US and Canada), to evaluate a first-in-class EGFR-targeting treatment in combination with KEYTRUDA^® (pembrolizumab) for EGFR-expressing advanced solid tumours. According to Dragonfly Therapeutics, DF9001 has the potential to stimulate anti-tumour immunity in patients who are not eligible or not adequately responding to current therapies.

DF9001 is being evaluated in adult patients for the treatment of advanced solid EGFR-positive tumours. It is being investigated as a monotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Dragonfly Therapeutics also shared that the treatment “potently redirects natural killer (NK) cells, gamma-delta T cells, and CD8 T cells by engaging activating receptors NKG2D and CD16”.

Driving anti-tumour activity

“We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Merck for our ongoing, investigational Phase I trial of DF9001. In preclinical models, DF9001 engages multiple immune effector cells to drive anti-tumour activity and induces PD-L1 expression in tumour cells, sensitising cold tumours to checkpoint inhibitors.

“We are hopeful that DF9001 in combination with KEYTRUDA will drive potent anti-tumour activity in a broad range of indications and are excited to further accelerate progress in the clinic to benefit patients in need,” commented Bill Haney, co-founder and CEO of Dragonfly Therapeutics.

It is anticipated that the first patients will be given Dragonfly’s EGFR immune engager and Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy combination therapy for solid tumours in the final quarter of 2024.

Further details about the clinical trial for KEYTRUDA^® (pembrolizumab) in combination with DF9001 can be found on clinicaltrials.gov: (NCT 05597839).

Last month, MSD (Merck) released promising clinical data for a combination treatment comprising of pembrolizumab as well as mirvetuximab soravtansine, to treat folate receptor-α (FRα) positive recurrent microsatellite stable (MSS) / mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) serious endometrial cancer.