MMRF, APGD collaborate to develop OSI-906 for relapsed multiple myeloma treatment

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc. (APGD) today announced that they have entered into a joint collaboration for the clinical development of OSI-906 in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma.

In support of this partnership, the MMRF and APGD have agreed to fund a Phase 1 trial evaluating OSI-906 as a single agent and in combination with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma. The trial will be conducted through the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC), which accelerates the development of novel and combination treatments for patients with multiple myeloma by promoting and facilitating collaborative research between industry and academia. Partial funding for this trial is made possible by the donor-supported MMRF Clinical Fund, which enables the MMRF to invest in the development of industry-owned compounds whose development in multiple myeloma is delayed due to matters of prioritization.

OSI-906 is a potent, selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor of both IGF-1R and IR, viewed as important therapeutic targets due to their involvement in the growth and proliferation of a variety of human cancers, including adrenocortical carcinoma, ovarian and non-small cell lung (NSCLC) cancers.

"As a dual inhibitor of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor and insulin receptor kinases, OSI-906 is uniquely positioned to be effective against myeloma," said Suzanne Trudel, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology at the University of Toronto, and Clinician/Research Scientist in the Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network, who is the principal investigator of the Phase 1 trial. "Preclinical models of myeloma strongly support a role for OSI-906 as a promising therapeutic approach to the treatment of multiple myeloma."

"We are excited to partner with APGD on OSI-906, which has shown promise in a number of other cancers," said Kathy Giusti, Founder and CEO of the MMRF and MMRC, and a multiple myeloma patient. "As we enter into more of these collaborations with our biopharmaceutical partners, we are beginning to see the potential of the MMRF Clinical Fund project come to fruition as compounds that may have not been considered before are now being studied in myeloma. We believe that this path of shared risk will result in getting more and better treatments to patients faster."

"We hope that this partnership with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation on the development of OSI-906 will prove to be beneficial to relapsed multiple myeloma patients," said William Fitzsimmons, Pharm.D., Senior Vice President US development and global group therapeutic area head of Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc. "We are committed to continuing to build our oncology pipeline to meet the unmet medical needs of patients around the world."