Boehringer Ingelheim and Amgen have both canned early-stage immunology candidates after the prospects showed little clinical promise.
Boehringer has halted development of the oral immune modulator BI 3009947, terminating a phase 1 trial that had enrolled 40 healthy men.
“Boehringer Ingelheim has decided to stop the development of BI 3009947,” a spokesperson for the German pharma confirmed to Fierce Biotech. “The clinical data does not support further investigation and there were no safety concerns.”
Amgen likewise stopped a phase 1 study of oral small-molecule AMG 378 that had enrolled 48 healthy volunteers.
“Amgen has decided to discontinue clinical development of AMG 378,” the California company told Fierce through a spokesperson. “This decision reflects the low likelihood of clinical success and portfolio prioritization.”
There are now no other active studies testing AMG 378, the spokesperson added. The molecule was being studied for its potential in ulcerative colitis, according to an archived version of Amgen’s pipeline.
Though they’ve trimmed their early immunology pipelines, both Boehringer and Amgen are still broadly active in the space. Boehringer, in recent months, has promised up to $1.26 billion for a preclinical inflammatory bowel disease bispecific from Simcere and up to $500 million as part of an oral autoimmune collab with British biotech Sitryx.
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The company is actively shopping for new antibody-drug conjugates and T-cell engagers, and it’s also exploring the potential of cell therapies in autoimmune diseases, Boehringer innovation leader Paola Casarosa, Ph.D., recently told Fierce.
Amgen, meanwhile, recently exited a $400 million autoimmune pact with Kyowa Kirin, but it still boasts an active inflammation pipeline that includes trials of approved meds Blincyto and Otezla in lupus and arthritis. Lupus has been a tricky area for Amgen, but the company recently posted a phase 2 win for monoclonal antibody daxdilimab in discoid lupus.
