Dynavax Reports Interim Data for SD-101 in Combination with KEYTRUDA

Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX) announced data from its ongoing Phase 1b/2 study investigating SD-101, Dynavax’s intratumoral TLR9 agonist, in combination with KEYTRUDA® , an anti-PD-1 therapy developed by Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada). These data were presented in a poster session at the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting.  The results from this dose escalation study showed encouraging response rates in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, the combination was well tolerated. The full poster presentation can be accessed at https://investors.dynavax.com/events-presentations.

As quoted in the press release:

“Results from our Phase 1b/2 trial of SD-101 in combination with KEYTRUDA are promising in head and neck cancer, a condition for which patients typically have a poor prognosis,” said Eddie Gray, Chief Executive Officer of Dynavax. “This is another tumor type in which SD-101, based on early data, has demonstrated encouraging activity while being well tolerated. As understanding of combination therapy matures we believe an effective immune stimulating agonist with an attractive tolerability profile will play a significant role in a wide range of tumors.”

“On Tuesday, April 17, 2018 we are also presenting updated data from our Phase1b/2 study at AACR from a cohort of melanoma patients, where a durable response was observed in patients naïve to anti-PD-1/L1 therapy as well as patients with prior treatment. We are excited about the overall results to date and believe this underscores the potential breadth of our immuno-oncology platform,” Mr. Gray added.

Click here to read the full press release.