Amgen joins hand with Roche for clinical research of cancer drugs

Amgen has formed a collaboration with Roche for a phase 1b study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of talimogene laherparepvec, Amgen's investigational oncolytic immunotherapy, in combination with Roche’s investigational anti-PDL1 therapy, atezolizumab (also known as MPDL3280A), in patients with triple-negative breast cancer and colorectal cancer with liver metastases.
 
Talimogene laherparepvec is an investigational oncolytic immunotherapy designed to selectively replicate in tumours (but not normal tissue) and to initiate an immune response to target cancer cells. Atezolizumab is an investigational monoclonal antibody designed to interfere with the PD-L1 protein.
 
The rationale for combining these two investigational agents is to activate an anti-tumour immune response with talimogene laherparepvec and to block inhibitory T cell checkpoints with atezolizumab, to potentially increase the anti-tumour activity relative to each agent alone.