Xencor, MorphoSys And Incyte Ink Collaboration Deal

(RTTNews) - Xencor (XNCR), MorphoSys AG (MORMOR) and Incyte (INCY) Wednesday announced a clinical collaboration to investigate the combination of tafasitamab, plamotamab and lenalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies plan to initiate a Phase 1/2 study evaluating the combination of tafasitamab, plamotamab and lenalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL.

Additionally, the companies are planning to evaluate the combination in relapsed or refractory FL and first-line DLBCL in multiple Phase 1b studies.

The collaboration is effective immediately upon the execution of the agreement.

?Xencor is pleased to partner with MorphoSys and Incyte to advance the development of plamotamab, our CD20 x CD3 XmAb bispecific antibody that has demonstrated encouraging clinical activity as a monotherapy in non-Hodgkin lymphoma," said Bassil Dahiyat, president and chief executive officer at Xencor.

?Tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide is an important new relapsed/refractory DLBCL treatment option for appropriate patients in the United States today, and its mechanism of action, efficacy and safety profile make it an attractive combination partner," said Jean-Paul Kress, chief executive officer of MorphoSys. "We believe that tafasitamab as a backbone can add value to new combinations such as with CD20 x CD3 bispecifics, and we are excited about this collaboration with Xencor and Incyte aiming to help more patients in areas of unmet need."

?This collaboration has the potential to advance patient care and Incyte is proud to join Xencor and MorphoSys in evaluating this new combination approach for these serious cancers," said Hervé Hoppenot, chief executive officer of Incyte.