Swedish biotechnology company Cantargia AB (STO:CANTA) said on Tuesday that it has received approval in France for a clinical trial to investigate the antibody nadunolimab (CAN04) in combination with the FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy regimen for first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer (PDAC).

The study is planned to be carried out in France and Spain. The first patient is expected to be enrolled in June 2021.

CAN04, an interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP)-binding antibody, is currently being investigated in an open label phase I/IIa clinical trial, CANFOUR, examining first-line combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in patients with advanced PDAC, as well as with gemcitabine and cisplatin in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Another trial, CIRIFOUR, is investigating CAN04 in combination with pembrolizumab in four different solid tumor indications.

This new clinical study, named CAPAFOUR, will investigate CAN04 in combination with FOLFIRINOX, one of the two most commonly used first-line chemotherapy regimens in metastatic PDAC.