ImmunOs Therapeutics Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA

Schlieren (Zurich Area), Switzerland, and Gaithersburg, MD, USA – October 17, 2023 – ImmunOs Therapeutics AG, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering HLA-based therapeutics to create transformational medicines for cancer and inflammation, today announced a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA to evaluate its lead compound IOS-1002 in combination with Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA’s anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), in an ongoing Phase 1a/b clinical trial for the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors.

IOS-1002 is a first-in-class checkpoint inhibitor targeting LILRB1 (ILT2), LILRB2 (ILT4), and KIR3DL1. As a multi-functional agent based on a naturally occurring human leukocyte antigen (HLA) targeting multiple immune checkpoints, IOS-1002 is designed to activate both innate and adaptive immune cells and to trigger anti-tumor activity. ImmunOs is currently enrolling patients in the Phase 1a/b trial, initiated earlier this year, to evaluate the potential of IOS-1002 as a monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA in adult patients with advanced solid tumors.

“We are pleased to enter into this agreement for our ongoing Phase 1a/b trial of IOS-1002,” said Christoph Renner, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, and co-founder of ImmunOs. “In preclinical models, we have demonstrated that IOS-1002 in combination with KEYTRUDA acts additively to increase T cell activation and eliminate tumor cells. We look forward to evaluating how the unique mechanism of action of IOS-1002, targeting three checkpoint receptors, LILRB1 (ILT2), LILRB2 (ILT4), KIR3DL1, in combination with KEYTRUDA will translate in the clinic to potentially activate broader and deeper anti-tumor immune responses, leading to significantly better outcomes for more cancer patients.”

“This agreement is an exciting milestone for the Company as we continue the clinical development of IOS-1002,” continued Sean R. Smith, Chief Executive Officer at ImmunOs. “KEYTRUDA is the global benchmark for anti-PD-1 therapy and our goal in the Phase 1a/b trial is to show safety, tolerability and potential efficacy of IOS-1002, both as monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA. There is a significant unmet clinical need to treat patients with advanced solid tumors who have no further therapeutic options, and we believe IOS-1002 can play a pivotal role in closing this therapeutic gap.”

KEYTRUDA^® is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.