Drugmakers Join For Immunotherapies

Two pairs of drug companies will evaluate combinations of immunotherapies, a new class of drugs that use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. AstraZeneca will separately study two antibodies, MEDI4736 and tremelimumab, in combination with Kyowa Hakko Kirin’s mogamulizumab. Similarly, Genentech will test its antibody MPDL3280A in combination with Incyte’s INCB24360, a small molecule. Earlier deals of this sort linked Incyte with Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca with Advaxis, and Merck & Co. with several firms.