September 11, 2014
By Riley McDermid, BioSpace.com Breaking News Sr. Editor
Wall Street should pay more attention to the so-called “R-squared” trials being conducted in an effort to cure certain types of lymphomas without chemotherapy, Celgene Chief Financial Officer Peter Kellogg told analysts Wednesday.
Celgene first teamed with Groupe d’Etude des Lymphomes de l’Adulte (GELA) in 2011 on a Phase III, open-label, randomized study to evaluate the therapeutic potential of a novel chemotherapy-free approach for the treatment of follicular lymphoma (FL).
It found that the combination of the immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide with drug rituximab—dubbed the “R-squared” regimen—has gained attention lately, as cancer research across the board has caught the attention of venture capitalist and storied investment banks alike.
Recent studies have shown indications that the lenalidomide enhances rituximab-induced apoptosis in preclinical models, and has single-agent activity in relapsed indolent lymphoma, which in combination with rituximab has shown strong activity in relapsed and previously untreated follicular lymphoma.
As such, Wall Street should pay close attention to the potential these trial could hold. Kellogg told analysts that the Celgene retains high hopes for the process.
“Company believes it’s ‘possible’ that durable complete response (CR) at two years might be an approvable endpoint for this indication,” wrote Mark Schoenebaum, a biotech and pharmaceuticals analyst and medical doctor for ISI Group, in a note. “This data could be available in late 2016 well ahead of PFS/OS data.”
