Sanofi Expands Oncology Pipeline with CD73 Inhibitor Ulelimumab Collaboration
核心洞察
Sanofi partners with I-Mab (搜索) to develop ulelimumab (搜索), a monoclonal antibody targeting CD73 (搜索), for cancer treatment.
A pivotal study in China is evaluating ulelimumab (搜索) with Loqtorzi in first-line NSCLC (搜索) patients with PD-L1 (搜索) and CD73 (搜索)-positive tumors.
Phase 1/2 trials showed a 63% ORR in NSCLC (搜索) patients with high CD73 (搜索) and PD-L1 (搜索) expression when ulelimumab (搜索) was combined with Loqtorzi.
Sanofi has entered into a collaboration with I-Mab (搜索) to develop ulelimumab (搜索), a monoclonal antibody targeting CD73 (搜索), marking Sanofi's latest move to bolster its oncology pipeline. This collaboration aims to explore ulelimumab's potential, particularly in combination with other therapies, for treating various cancers. The deal comes shortly after Otsuka's licensing of Arcus’s CD73 inhibitor quemliclustat, highlighting the growing interest in CD73 as a therapeutic target.
Ulelimumab's Clinical Development
Currently, a pivotal study is underway in China, assessing ulelimumab (搜索) in conjunction with Coherus/Shanghai Junshi’s anti-PD-1 antibody, Loqtorzi, as a first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC (搜索)) patients whose tumors are positive for both PD-L1 (搜索) and CD73 (搜索). Data from this trial are expected next year. I-Mab (搜索) has also conducted trials in the US, raising questions about Sanofi’s potential plans for ulelimumab's development beyond China.
Competitive Landscape of CD73 Inhibitors
The CD73 (搜索)-targeting space is becoming increasingly crowded, with 24 projects currently in clinical development. Among these, 15 are monoclonal antibodies, with AstraZeneca's oleclumab being the most advanced. I-Mab (搜索) believes that ulelimumab (搜索) could offer improved efficacy compared to other monoclonal antibodies, a claim that will need to be substantiated through clinical trials.
Early Clinical Data
Data from a phase 1/2 trial conducted in both the US and China in first-line NSCLC (搜索) showed that the combination of ulelimumab (搜索) and Loqtorzi resulted in an overall response rate (ORR) of 31%. Notably, this ORR increased to 63% in patients with tumors deemed to have high CD73 (搜索) and PD-L1 (搜索) expression. These early results suggest a potential benefit in a specific subset of NSCLC patients.
Sanofi's Expanding Oncology Portfolio
This collaboration represents Sanofi's third oncology-focused deal in recent times, signaling a strategic effort to expand its presence in the cancer therapeutics market. While the financial details of these deals have been relatively modest, they reflect a targeted approach to incorporating innovative assets into Sanofi’s development pipeline.