ORIC Pharmaceuticals Announces Multiple Clinical Collaborations with Strategic Partners to Support Ongoing Trial Evaluating ORIC-944 in Combination with AR Inhibitors for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Core Insights - ORIC Pharmaceuticals is advancing ORIC-944, a promising PRC2 inhibitor, in combination with darolutamide and apalutamide for treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) [1][5][6] - The ongoing Phase 1b trial aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these combinations, with ORIC maintaining full global development and commercial rights to ORIC-944 [1][5][6] Company Developments - ORIC has initiated dosing of ORIC-944 in combination with darolutamide and apalutamide in the first half of 2024 as part of the Phase 1b trial [5][6] - The trial includes dose escalation and expansion portions for both combinations, assessing their potential benefits in treating prostate cancer [5][6] Clinical Collaboration - ORIC has entered into clinical trial collaboration and supply agreements with Bayer and Johnson & Johnson to support the evaluation of ORIC-944 [5][6] - The collaborations are expected to enhance the investigation of ORIC-944's broader potential in combination with androgen receptor (AR) inhibitors [2][6] Mechanism and Efficacy - ORIC-944 is characterized as a potent and selective allosteric inhibitor of PRC2, demonstrating a clinical half-life of approximately 20 hours and a favorable safety profile [7] - Preclinical findings suggest that the combination of ORIC-944 with AR inhibitors may reprogram prostate cancer to revert to an AR-dependent state, indicating a novel treatment paradigm [2][7]