LianBio has entered into a clinical supply agreement with AstraZeneca in China to assess the combination therapy of BBP-398 and osimertinib for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a Phase I clinical trial.

Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will supply its osimertinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor for the study.

The trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of LianBio’s investigational SHP2 inhibitor BBP-398 along with osimertinib in patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with EGFR mutations.

LianBio CEO Yizhe Wang said: “In China, a disproportionately high percentage of NSCLC patients harbour EGFR mutations.

“While EGFR inhibitors are a critical part of the standard of care, most patients eventually acquire resistance to these therapies.

“We believe BBP-398 is a differentiated SHP2 inhibitor with the potential to restore sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors when used in a combination setting.”

The trial including a dose escalation phase followed by expansion cohorts is anticipated to be initiated in the second half of this year.

BBP-398 was founded through a partnership between BridgeBio and the Therapeutics Discovery division of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

LianBio and BridgeBio have partnered for development and marketing in Mainland China and other Asian markets for BBP-398 to be used with various agents for treating colorectal and pancreatic cancer besides NSCLC.

Along with Bristol Myers Squibb, BridgeBio is evaluating BBP-398 in combination with OPDIVO (nivolumab) in patients with advanced solid tumours with KRAS mutations.

BBP-398 in combination with Amgen’s KRASG12C inhibitor LUMAKRAS (sotorasib) is also being assessed in treating the above indication with KRASG12C mutations.