Celgene Corporation CELG and AstraZeneca AZN announced the initiation of the FUSION development program on investigational human monoclonal antibody directed against programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), durvalumab (MEDI4736), across blood cancers like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and multiple myeloma. The FUSION program comprises four studies – MM-001 (a phase Ib study to determine the recommended dose and regimen of durvalumab as a monotherapy or in combination with pomalidomide, with or without low-dose dexamethasone, in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma); CC-486-MDS-006 (a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CC-486 alone or in combination with durvalumab in patients with MDS, who fail to achieve an objective response to treatment with azacitidine for injection or decitabine); MEDI4736 -NHL-001 (a phase I/II study to assess the safety and tolerability of durvalumab as a monotherapy as well as combination therapy in patients with lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia); and MEDI4736-MDS-001 (a phase II study to evaluating the efficacy and safety of azacitidine subcutaneous in combination with durvalumab in previously untreated patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes or in elderly acute myeloid leukemia subjects, who are not eligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation). We remind investors that Celgene and AstraZeneca entered the immuno-oncology deal earlier this year […]