Tolero Pharmaceuticals and AbbVie collaborate to advance AML treatment

Tolero Pharmaceuticals has entered into a clinical research collaboration with AbbVie to explore the potential of combining their respective drugs, alvocidib and venetoclax, for the treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This innovative partnership aims to harness the synergistic effects of these drugs to enhance treatment efficacy in AML, a notoriously difficult-to-treat cancer.

Alvocidib, developed by Tolero Pharmaceuticals, is a cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) inhibitor that regulates the expression of MCL-1, a protein that cancer cells use to avoid apoptosis. AbbVie’s venetoclax is a small molecule inhibitor of the B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) protein. Together, these drugs target critical survival pathways used by cancer cells, potentially leading to more effective cancer cell death and treatment outcomes.

The collaboration will explore the combination of these agents in a clinical setting, following promising preclinical data suggesting that their mechanisms might drive synergistic effects, enhancing apoptosis in cancer cells. David J. Bearss, CEO of Tolero Pharmaceuticals, expressed optimism about the collaboration: “Preclinical data suggest that the mechanisms of action for venetoclax and alvocidib may synergistically drive apoptosis in cancer cells. We hope to further investigate this hypothesis with our planned trial of this combination therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory AML.”

Under the terms of the agreement, both Tolero Pharmaceuticals and AbbVie will share the development expenses equally, demonstrating a joint commitment to advancing this potential treatment. The collaboration retains full commercial rights for their respective drugs, emphasizing the strategic nature of this partnership in leveraging existing assets to address gaps in AML treatment.

Neil Gallagher, Vice President and Head of Global Oncology Development at AbbVie, highlighted the urgency of developing new treatments: “This is a unique opportunity to bring together and investigate two first and only in class compounds to help patients with AML. There is an urgent need for new therapies, particularly in patients who either did not respond well to initial therapy or who subsequently relapsed. AML is a complex disease at the cellular level. Therefore, combining alvocidib with venetoclax, which have distinct but potentially complementary mechanisms for targeting the leukemia cells, makes a lot of sense from a scientific perspective.”

The planned clinical trials will critically assess the efficacy and safety of the alvocidib and venetoclax combination, with the aim of providing a new, effective option for patients suffering from relapsed or refractory AML. As the trials progress, the oncology community eagerly anticipates potentially groundbreaking results that could transform AML treatment paradigms.