Celgene Corporation and AstraZeneca announced the initiation of the FUSION clinical development program of durvalumab (MEDI4736), an investigational human monoclonal antibody directed against programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in hematologic disorders.
The FUSION program is part of a strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm MedImmune , to develop and commercialize durvalumab across a range of blood cancers including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes and multiple myeloma.
The Celgene partnership with AstraZeneca /MedImmune is part of a comprehensive commitment to immuno-oncology that includes not only clinical-stage checkpoint inhibitors and t-cell activators, but also earlier stage research efforts on the tumor microenvironment focused on tumor-associated macrophages, monocytes, natural killer cells and regulatory T cells.
Durvalumab is an investigational human monoclonal antibody directed against programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1). Signals from PD-L1 help tumours avoid detection by the immune system. Durvalumab blocks these signals, countering the tumour's immune-evading tactics. Durvalumab is being investigated in an extensive clinical trial programme, as monotherapy or in combination in multiple cancer types. Durvalumab is an investigational product and has not been approved for any use.
