Drug Overview
IMO-2125 is a synthetic phosphorothioate oligonucleotide-based agonist of toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) designed to mimic the bacterial DNA that normally activates TLR9. The phosphorothioate bond, which substitutes a sulfur atom for a non-binding oxygen in the phosphate backbone of the oligonucleotide, confers nuclease resistance, vastly improving its half-life in the body. Stimulation of TLR9 initiates a cascade of innate and adaptive immune responses, which may promote an antitumor response.
Idera is positioning IMO-2125 in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab; Bristol-Myers Squibb/Ono Pharmaceutical) for patients refractory to the widely used anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) therapies. Yervoy is already commonly used in this patient population as a monotherapy, as its cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) target differentiates it from anti-PD-1 therapy. In the context of patients with BRAF mutations, a common next step after failure of treatment with a PD-1 antibody is treatment with mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors; therefore, these drugs represent notable competition in this space. Nevertheless, if IMO-2125 can add benefit to Yervoy in this setting, the combination will likely be widely adopted in the approximately 40–75% of patients who do not have a response to PD-1 inhibitors such as Opdivo (nivolumab; Bristol-Myers Squibb/Ono Pharmaceutical) and Keytruda (pembrolizumab; Merck & Co).
CONTENTS
4 OVERVIEW
4 Drug Overview
5 Product Profiles
5 IMO-2125 : Melanoma
LIST OF FIGURES
10 Figure 1: IMO-2125 for melanoma – SWOT analysis
11 Figure 2: Datamonitor Healthcare’s drug assessment summary of IMO-2125 for melanoma
12 Figure 3: Datamonitor Healthcare’s drug assessment summary of IMO-2125 for melanoma
14 Figure 4: IMO-2125 sales for melanoma in the US, 2017–26
LIST OF TABLES
6 Table 1: IMO-2125 drug profile
7 Table 2: IMO-2125 Phase III trial in melanoma
9 Table 3: IMO-2125 Phase I/II data in melanoma
15 Table 4: IMO-2125 sales for melanoma in the US ($m), 2017–26
17 Table 5: IMO-2125 patient numbers for melanoma in the US, 2017–26