On November 6, 2018 Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) reported that it has entered into an oncology clinical collaboration with Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) to evaluate several combination regimens in multiple cancer settings, including metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) (Press release, Nektar Therapeutics, NOV 6, 2018, View Source [SID1234534537]). The collaboration will evaluate Nektar’s lead immuno-oncology candidate, the CD122-biased agonist NKTR-214 with avelumab, a human anti-PD-L1 antibody in development by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer; talazoparib, a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor developed by Pfizer; or enzalutamide, an androgen receptor inhibitor in development by Pfizer and Astellas Pharma Inc.
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"We are excited to partner with Pfizer to evaluate the potential benefit of the combination of NKTR-214 with agents targeting multiple mechanisms in the Company’s portfolio for patients with a diagnosis of prostate and head and neck cancer," said Mary Tagliaferri, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Nektar. "Importantly, this new clinical collaboration will allow us to understand how we might access multiple immuno-oncology and targeted modalities simultaneously to treat cancer in complementary and novel ways."
Under the new collaboration, Pfizer will initiate a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial to evaluate the anti-cancer activity of the combined agents, avelumab, talazoparib and NKTR-214 and separately avelumab, enzalutamide and NKTR-214. Nektar, Pfizer and their respective partners will each maintain global commercial rights to their respective medicines.
"We are looking forward to combining Nektar’s unique CD122-biased agonist with a number of agents with distinct mechanisms," said Chris Boshoff, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Immuno-Oncology, Early Development and Translational Oncology at Pfizer. "We hope to achieve our goal of improving the care of patients with difficult-to-treat cancers with unique immunotherapy-based regimens."
NKTR-214 is an investigational immuno-stimulatory therapy designed to expand specific cancer-fighting CD8+ effector T cells and natural killer (NK) cells directly in the tumor micro-environment and increase expression of PD-1 on these immune cells. NKTR-214 targets CD122 specific receptors found on the surface of these cancer-fighting immune cells in order to stimulate their proliferation. NKTR-214 is being evaluated in multiple clinical trials in cancer patients. It has an antibody-like dosing regimen similar to the existing checkpoint inhibitor class of approved medicines.
About Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men and is the second leading cause of death for American males. The American Cancer Society estimates over 164,000 new cases of prostate cancer are projected in 2018, with approximately 29,000 expected deaths. mCRPC is an incurable disease and is usually associated with poor prognosis. The five-year survival rate for mCRPC is approximately 29%.1
About Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) are usually only diagnosed at an advanced stage and thus have a relatively poor prognosis. One cause may be human papillomavirus (HPV), but the main cause is tobacco smoking and excessive consumption of high-percentage alcohol.