Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pharmacyclics and Janssen ally on lymphoma research

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced a new partnership with Pharmacyclics and Janssen that will assess a new combination cancer therapy.

The clinical trial collaboration agreement will see the companies working together to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of Bristol-Myers Squibb's investigational PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo in combination with Pharmacyclics and Janssen's Imbruvica.

A phase I/II study will examine the safety and anti-tumour activity of combining Opdivo and Imbruvica as a potential treatment option for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

The study will be conducted by Janssen and will add to the body of clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of both therapies.

Michael Giordano, senior vice-president and head of development for oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, said: "We look forward to working with Pharmacyclics and Janssen to evaluate the potential of these two therapies as options for patients with lymphomas."

This comes after Bristol-Myers Squibb formed a new immuno-oncology-focused collaboration with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center earlier this month.