Aravive and AstreZeneca Begin Phase 1/2 Study of AVB-500

Aravive (NASDAQ:ARAV) and AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) have announced that a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of AVB-500 study in combination with durvalumab, in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer has begun and is recruiting patients.

As quoted in the press release:

 The clinical trial is jointly funded by Aravive and AstraZeneca.

“GAS6/AXL signaling plays a key role in immune evasion, suggesting that inhibition of this pathway has the potential to augment the anti-tumor effects of an anti-PD-L1 agent to achieve better outcomes for patients,” said Gail McIntyre, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Aravive. “Consequently, we believe there is a strong mechanistic and clinical rationale for exploring the potential of AVB-500 in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor in the treatment of ovarian cancer.”

This open-label trial will begin with a Phase 1b safety lead-in phase to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) for the combination of AVB-500 and durvalumab. In the Phase 2 portion, eligible subjects will participate in a 6-week monotherapy cycle randomized to either AVB-500 or durvalumab before receiving the combination therapy at the RP2D. Patients will receive treatment until progression or unacceptable toxicity with combination therapy. The study is listed on clinicaltrials.gov NCT04019288.

“There is a significant need for effective treatments that don’t add to the treatment burden for women with ovarian cancer,” said Laura Bonifacio, Pharm.D., Ph.D., vice president of clinical operations at Aravive.

Click here to read the full press release.