GSK drops Blenrep combo trials with SpringWorks' Ogsiveo for comeback bid

GSK has decided to end its collaboration with SpringWorks Therapeutics in the development of combination therapies for multiple myeloma, despite the recent approval of SpringWorks' drug, Ogsiveo. This move is aimed at ensuring GSK is investing in the most effective combination treatments, according to a company spokesperson.

The original partnership, amended in September 2022, was focused on combining GSK's Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin-blmf) and SpringWorks' Ogsiveo (nirogacestat) to target multiple myeloma and other BCMA-expressing cancers. As part of this collaboration, GSK made a $75 million equity investment in SpringWorks, with the latter standing to receive up to $550 million in potential development and commercial milestones.

This 2022 agreement was a revised version of a clinical trial collaboration initiated in the summer of 2019. Under this pact, both companies aimed to co-develop and possibly market these combination therapies. However, the termination notice, which was issued on Thursday, marks the end of this collaboration. The termination will be effective after 180 days, during which GSK and SpringWorks will collaborate on winding down existing studies.

A GSK spokesperson highlighted that the termination is part of GSK's broader strategy to ensure they are investing in the best combination approaches for multiple myeloma. However, this decision will not impact most of Blenrep's DREAMM development program. This program is exploring Blenrep in various treatment lines, including as a potential first-line treatment for multiple myeloma in combination with other innovative cancer therapies and standard treatments.

Despite this, GSK will close the phase 1/2 DREAMM-5 trial, which tested combinations of Ogsiveo and other anti-cancer agents with Blenrep in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The company will not enroll new patients in this trial or initiate new trials with Ogsiveo.

In its recent securities filing, SpringWorks confirmed that it expects GSK to continue ongoing clinical trials established under the partnership until their completion. One such trial is a 27-patient study combining Ogsiveo with low-dose Blenrep in multiple myeloma. SpringWorks assured that it would support these ongoing trials with drug product supply and future publication efforts based on the data generated.

The termination of the collaboration does not impose any financial obligations on SpringWorks in terms of payments or wind-down costs. While the partnership with GSK is winding down, SpringWorks' drug Ogsiveo is gaining commercial traction. Ogsiveo, which received FDA approval in November to treat desmoid tumors, is SpringWorks' first commercial product and the first drug specifically approved for desmoid tumors. In the first quarter of 2024, Ogsiveo generated $21 million.

GSK's position with Blenrep remains complex. In November 2022, GSK withdrew Blenrep from the U.S. market after the drug failed to outperform a combination of Bristol Myers Squibb’s Pomalyst and dexamethasone in treating relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Despite this setback, GSK has continued to explore the potential of Blenrep. Recent phase 3 DREAMM-7 trial results showed that a combination of Blenrep, Takeda’s Velcade, and dexamethasone significantly reduced the risk of progression or death compared to Johnson & Johnson’s Darzalex and dexamethasone. Additionally, the DREAMM-8 trial showed that Blenrep combined with BMS’ Pomalyst and dexamethasone outperformed standard-of-care Velcade and PomDex in progression-free survival.

GSK remains optimistic about these recent results and believes that if approved, Blenrep-based combination therapies could redefine the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.