One of the biggest surprises sprung by Phylogica in 2015 was a...

One of the biggest surprises sprung by Phylogica in 2015 was a sudden switch in pipeline target indications. When the Annual Report was released in late October, the company’s focus was still on breast cancer. By the time of the AGM in late November, the company said it was now focussing its efforts on “advancing (a) proprietary pipeline focused on blood cancers”.

Specifically, acute myeloid leukaemia, chronic myeloid leukaemia and multiple myeloma were said to be target indications. Lymphoma was added to the mix a fortnight later, when the results were announced of an independent study undertaken by Dr Doug Fairlie, a cancer researcher based at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute. Phylogica was said to be collaborating with ONJCRI to investigate if combination therapies, targeting different cancer pathways, could increase the potency of PYC MYC-targeting therapies. Dr Fairlie’s team had observed that a combination of a “pro-death” peptide and OmoMYC, both fused to PYC cell penetrating peptides (CPPs), improved the lymphoma cancer cell killing activity of each drug by up to 600%.

This observation that a Phylomer CPP-Omomyc fusion could substantially improve the efficacy of another anticancer drug, when used in combination, reflected study findings announced earlier in the year. In March, a pilot study conducted by Professor Pilar Blancafort from the Harry Perkins Cancer Institute indicated that a combination of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s antibody Cetuximab with a Phylomer CPP-Omomyc fusion was more than three times more effective at killing drug resistant breast cancer cells than Cetuximab alone.

It begs the question, if focus is to now be on blood cancer indications, is Phylogica likely to look at testing an existing blood cancer drug in combination with a Phylomer CPP-MYC-targeting drug fusion (such as was done with Cetuximab)? And if so, which one(s)?

My thinking is that Revlimid (lenalidomide) could well be of interest.

Celgene’s Revlimid is a small molecule immunomodulating agent. In 2014, it was one of the world’s top 20 drugs by sales revenue; second fastest in sales growth after Humira, second highest selling orphan drug after Roche’s Rituxan and predicted to be the highest selling orphan drug by 2020. Annual sales are approaching $6 billion. Revlimid is approved for use in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of multiple myeloma. It is also approved for use in relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma and in myelodysplastic syndrome, a pre-leukemia condition. Currently, Revlimid is also being trialled in combination with multiple oral and iv cancer therapies in the indication of acute myeloid leukemia.

If Phylogica does want to attract Celgene’s attention, it will face plenty of competition. A 2014 biopharmaceutical partnering survey shows that Celgene rates highest as most preferred partner among sell-side biotechs and biopharmas.