Advaxis and Merck collaborate to study the combination of ADXS-PSA, Advaxis’s Lm-LLO cancer immunotherapy, and pembrolizumab, Merck’s investigational anti PD-1 antibody. Advaxis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops cancer immunotherapies. The clinical trial will examine the safety and effectiveness of using ADXS-PSA as monotherapy and in conjunction with pembrolizumab for a Phase 1/2 study involving patients who received prior treatment for metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Both forms of treatment are investigational components of a novel class of cancer treatments called immunotherapies, that are designed to fortify the body’s own cancer-fighting defenses. Preclinical evidence indicates that Advaxis Lm-LLO immunotherapies, when combined with a PD-1 inhibitor, could achieve an elevated anti-tumor immune response.

Daniel J. O’Connor, President and Chief Executive Officer of Advaxis, said in a statement, “We are excited to be working with Merck. Equally as exciting is the combination potential of our Lm-LLO immunotherapy with Merck’s anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor.” He continued, “We believe the combination of Advaxis Lm-LLO cancer immunotherapies and checkpoint inhibitors holds significant promise for the treatment of prostate and other cancers.”

The two companies will join together to evaluate the combination of ADXS-PSA/pembrolizumab to treat prostate cancer, under the agreement terms.

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. The disease primarily occurs in men ages 65 and older, which accounts for around six in 10 cases. The disease is rare among individuals aged 40 and under.