Sometimes timing can be amusing when writing up data and conferences. Yesterday, while writing about the immuno-oncology developments in renal cell cancer (RCC), I was putting a table of the trials together and absent mindedly noticed that Merck didn’t have much going in this indication compared to BMS and Roche/Genentech.

Oddly, the company fixed that this morning with their announcement that they are expanding their combinations and collaborations for the anti-PD–1 antibody, MK–3475. One of the new trials includes a partnership with Pfizer for axitinib (Inlyta), enabling them to study a PD–1 + VEGF combination in RCC. The table in yesterday’s thought piece has now been updated to include this trial, although it is in the planning stage at present.

Today, I want to switch horses a little bit and talk about another immuno-oncology therapy, namely, ipilimumab (Yervoy).  Dr Charles Drake (Johns Hopkins) presented an update on the post chemotherapy trial (CA184–083) in CRPC at ASCO GU this weekend, which we wrote about from ESMO last Fall when the data was first presented (see here).  What’s interesting is that the trial, although negative, only just missed its endpoint.

Last week I came across some interesting new developments relating to ipilimumab that are well worth discussing here, particularly in relation to biomarkers, as they may have significant implications for the drug clinically.

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