INOVIO, a biotechnology company developing DNA medicines to help treat and protect people from HPV-associated diseases, entered a clinical collaboration and supply agreement with Coherus BioSciences, Inc. to evaluate the combination of INO-3112 and LOQTORZI (toripalimab-tpzi) as a potential treatment for locoregionally advanced, high-risk, HPV16/18 positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), a type of head and neck cancer commonly known as throat cancer.
 
Coherus will provide LOQTORZI for a Phase 3 trial to be conducted by INOVIO. LOQTORZI is a PD-1 inhibitor recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of recurrent locally advanced/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (R/P NPC).
 
“We are very pleased to be collaborating with Coherus on this novel combination therapy and are excited about the opportunity to build on encouraging data from our previous trials involving INO-3112 in HPV-related head and neck cancer,” said INOVIO’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Jacqueline Shea. “There is unique potential in combining our DNA medicines platform, which a growing body of research indicates is adept at fighting HPV-related diseases, with a proven PD-1 inhibitor to improve clinical outcomes for patients.”
 
“We are delighted to be partnering with INOVIO on the development of the toripalimab/INO-3112 combination in HPV-related OPSCC, a tumor type that is synergistic to the current toripalimab indication in R/P NPC,” said Rosh Dias, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Coherus. “With its differentiated mechanism of action, toripalimab in combination with the INO-3112 vaccine may hold promise for these patients in earlier-stage disease, where treatment options are more limited.”