Benzinga | Dec 10, 2021 06:32AM EST

SpringWorks Therapeutics Reports Clinical Collab With AbbVie To Evaluate Nirogacestat In Combo With ABBV-383 In Patients with Relapsed, Refractory Multiple Myeloma, No Terms Disclosed

SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing life-changing medicines for patients with severe rare diseases and cancer, today announced that the company has entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with AbbVie, Inc. to evaluate nirogacestat, SpringWorks' investigational gamma secretase inhibitor, in combination with ABBV-383, AbbVie's investigational CD3 bispecific antibody directed against B-cell maturation agent (BCMA), in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Gamma secretase inhibition helps prevent the cleavage and shedding of BCMA from the surface of myeloma cells. In preclinical models, nirogacestat has been shown to increase levels of membrane-bound BCMA and reduce levels of soluble BCMA, thereby helping to enhance the activity of BCMA-targeted therapies, including CD3 bispecific antibodies.1,2

"We continue to progress our strategy to evaluate nirogacestat in combination with BCMA therapies for patients with multiple myeloma and are delighted to enter into our seventh BCMA clinical collaboration. We look forward to working with AbbVie to study nirogacestat in combination with ABBV-383," said Saqib Islam, Chief Executive Officer of SpringWorks. "Together with our industry-leading collaborators, our goal remains to meaningfully improve clinical outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma."

Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will sponsor and conduct the Phase 1b study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of the combination in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, and will assume all costs associated with the study, other than expenses related to the manufacturing of nirogacestat and certain expenses related to intellectual property rights. AbbVie and SpringWorks will also form a joint steering committee to manage the clinical study, which is expected to commence in the first half of 2022.