On October 13, 2021 NeoImmuneTech, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 950220), a clinical-stage T cell-focused biopharmaceutical company, reported that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1b study of its lead drug candidate, NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa), a novel long-acting human interleukin-7 (IL-7), following CAR-T cell therapy tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) in patients with relapsed/refractory (r/r) Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL) (Press release, NeoImmuneTech, OCT 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234591188]).

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Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most commonly occurring subtype of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), accounting for 25% to 30% of all NHL and >20,000 cases in the U.S. annually1. Despite improvement in therapeutic options, treatment is often not curative with as many as 50% of patients developing relapsed or refractory disease2.

"We have shown in multiple animal models that the addition of NT-I7 to CAR-T cells substantially increased CAR-T cell proliferation, persistence, and target-specific tumor killing, resulting in significantly prolonged survival of the treated animals," said NgocDiep Le, M.D., Ph.D., Executive VP and Chief Medical Officer of NeoImmuneTech (NIT). "Now that we have begun dosing in this study, we look forward to evaluating the potential of NT-I7 therapy to prolong clinical response and survival for patients with r/r LBCL."

Se Hwan Yang, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of NIT added, "While CAR-T cell therapies have revolutionized the way we treat multiple hematologic malignancies, relapsed or refractory illness still impacts many patients with LBCL who are in need of additional treatment options. By advancing this Phase 1b study, we hope to pave the way for a new therapeutic solution that could enhance the clinical impact of Kymriah alone and ultimately improve patient outcomes."

This multicenter Phase 1b study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of NT-I7 administration following standard-of-care tisagenlecleucel CAR-T cell therapy, and determine the recommended Phase 2 dose of the combination for further future clinical development.

More information on this trial can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: 05075603.

Kymriah is a registered trademark of Novartis AG.

About NT-I7

NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) is the only clinical-stage long-acting human IL-7, and is being developed for oncologic and immunologic indications, in which T cell amplification and enhanced functionality may provide clinical benefit. IL-7 is a fundamental cytokine for naïve and memory T cell development and for sustaining immune response to chronic antigens (as in cancer) or foreign antigens (as in infectious diseases). In clinical trials to date, NT-I7 has exhibited favorable PK/PD and safety profiles, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other anticancer treatments. NT-I7 is being studied in multiple clinical trials in solid tumors and as a vaccine adjuvant. Studies are being planned for testing in hematologic malignancies, additional solid tumors and other immunology-focused indications.