Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene agree cancer drug research alliance

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced a new oncology-focused clinical trial collaboration with fellow pharmaceutical company Celgene.

The planned phase I study will assess the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of a combination regimen of Bristol-Myers Squibb's investigational PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, Opdivo and Celgene's nab technology-based chemotherapy Abraxane.

Multiple tumour types will be explored in the study, including HER-2 negative metastatic breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The trial is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Opdivo is designed to harness the body's own immune system response to fight cancer, while Abraxane functions by interfering with the ability of cancer cells to divide. It is hoped that combining these two modes of action will be more effective than either method on its own.

Michael Giordano, senior vice-president for oncology development at Bristol-Myers Squibb, said: "Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene will work together to advance the science and understanding of how the body's own immune system and chemotherapy might work together to fight cancer."

This comes as part of a wider collaborative strategy undertaken by Bristol-Myers Squibb, which has also seen the firm form new alliances with Leica, Incyte and CytomX in recent months.