New pivotal trials will evaluate the combination of cabozantinib and atezolizumab in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, castration-resistant prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma

Collaboration based on data from phase 1b COSMIC-021 trial

ALAMEDA, CA, USA I December 19, 2019 IExelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) today announced a collaboration agreement with Roche to evaluate cabozantinib (CABOMETYX®), Exelixis’ small molecule inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinases, in combination with atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®), Roche’s PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. The clinical program, which will be co-funded by the companies, is expected to include three phase 3 pivotal trials in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

“Encouraging phase 1 data suggests this combination of cabozantinib and atezolizumab may improve outcomes for patients with prostate, lung and kidney cancers, and we look forward to collaborating with Roche to learn more in these pivotal trials,” said Michael M. Morrissey, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Exelixis. “This clinical collaboration is an important further step in our committed efforts to maximize the value of the cabozantinib franchise through these cost-sharing clinical collaborations in additional high-impact indications, while building value with new compounds from internal and external sources in 2020 and beyond.”

The clinical development collaboration builds on encouraging activity observed in the phase 1b COSMIC-021 trial. The trial is currently enrolling 24 expansion cohorts in 12 tumor types including RCC, NSCLC and CRPC.

TECENTRIQ® (atezolizumab) is a registered trademark of Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

About CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib)

In the U.S., CABOMETYX tablets are approved for the treatment of patients with advanced RCC and for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who have been previously treated with sorafenib. CABOMETYX tablets have also received regulatory approvals in the European Union and additional countries and regions worldwide.

About Exelixis’ Collaboration with Ipsen

On February 29, 2016, Exelixis and Ipsen jointly announced an exclusive licensing agreement for the commercialization and further development of cabozantinib indications outside of the United States, Canada and Japan. On December 21, 2016, this agreement was amended to include commercialization rights for Ipsen in Canada. Under the parties’ collaboration agreement, if Ipsen opts to participate in funding these phase 3 trials, or future studies, Ipsen will have access to the respective study results to support potential future regulatory submissions in their territory.

About Exelixis’ Collaboration with Takeda

On January 30, 2017, Exelixis and Takeda jointly announced an exclusive licensing agreement for the commercialization and further development of cabozantinib indications in Japan. Under the parties’ collaboration agreement, if Takeda opts to participate in funding these phase 3 trials, or future studies, Takeda will have access to the respective study results to support potential future regulatory submissions in their territory.

Exelixis holds the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize cabozantinib in the United States.

About Exelixis

Founded in 1994, Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) is a commercially successful, oncology-focused biotechnology company that strives to accelerate the discovery, development and commercialization of new medicines for difficult-to-treat cancers. Following early work in model system genetics, we established a broad drug discovery and development platform that has served as the foundation for our continued efforts to bring new cancer therapies to patients in need. Our discovery efforts have resulted in four commercially available products, CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib), COMETRIQ® (cabozantinib), COTELLIC® (cobimetinib) and MINNEBRO® (esaxerenone), and we have entered into partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies to bring these important medicines to patients worldwide. Supported by revenues from our marketed products and collaborations, we are committed to prudently reinvesting in our business to maximize the potential of our pipeline. We are supplementing our existing therapeutic assets with targeted business development activities and internal drug discovery — all to deliver the next generation of Exelixis medicines and help patients recover stronger and live longer. Exelixis is a member of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) MidCap 400 index, which measures the performance of profitable mid-sized companies. For more information about Exelixis, please visit www.exelixis.com, follow @ExelixisInc on Twitter or like Exelixis, Inc.on Facebook.

SOURCE: Exelixis