On September 16, 2021 ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., ("ALX Oncology") (Nasdaq: ALXO), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing therapies that block the CD47 checkpoint pathway, reported the initiation of a Phase 1/2 investigator-sponsored trial of evorpacept (also known as ALX148), a next generation CD47 blocker, in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide for the treatment of patients with indolent and aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma ("NHL") (Press release, ALX Oncology, SEP 16, 2021, View Source [SID1234591864]). This study is being led by Dr. Paolo Strati at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center ("MDACC"), one of the largest multidisciplinary programs in the U.S. for treating NHL.
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"We are excited to launch this study that builds upon the promising anti-tumor activity and tolerability observed from ASPEN-01, ALX Oncology’s Phase 1b study to investigate the combination of evorpacept and rituximab in patients with advanced relapsed and refractory NHL," said Paolo Strati, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Lymphoma-Myeloma and Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, MDACC. "NHL remains a difficult-to-treat cancer and patients are in desperate need for more therapeutic options to help improve disease outcomes. From a mechanistic perspective, the combination of a CD47 blocker and rituximab, as well as the combination of lenalidomide and rituximab, have demonstrated clinical activity against NHL. As these doublet combinations act through different but synergistic mechanisms, and have non-overlapping individual toxicity profiles, we anticipate the triplet combination of evorpacept, rituximab and lenalidomide will positively impact efficacy without increasing toxicity."
About Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Approximately 500,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with NHL each year. In the U.S., NHL is the seventh most common type of cancer, and over 80,000 newly diagnosed cases of NHL are estimated in 2021. Treatment options are currently limited and resistance to existing therapies or relapse following treatment is common. The most prevalent form of NHL, accounting for about 40% of newly diagnosed NHL cases, is an aggressive form called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma ("DLBCL"). Patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL have an extremely poor prognosis with a median survival of approximately 6 months. Indolent lymphomas comprise another common form of NHL, especially among elderly individuals, where safe and effective chemotherapy-free options for these patients are urgently needed.