Celyad Oncology announces voluntary pause of CYAD-101-002 phase 1b trial

Celyad Oncology SA (Euronext & Nasdaq: CYAD) (the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapies for cancer, today announced it has taken the decision to voluntarily pause the CYAD-101-002 (KEYNOTE-B79) Phase 1b trial (NCT04991948).

The CYAD-101-002 trial is part of a collaboration with MSD, a tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, through a subsidiary. The trial is evaluating the Company’s TCR Inhibitory Molecule (TIM)-based allogeneic NKG2D CAR T cell investigational therapy CYAD-101 administered concurrently with FOLFOX chemotherapy, followed by MSD’s anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer.

The Company has received reports of two fatalities that presented with similar pulmonary findings. With a clear focus on patient safety and an overriding sense of caution, the Company has decided to voluntarily pause dosing and enrollment of patients in the CYAD-101-002 trial in order to investigate these events. The Company is currently investigating these reports and evaluating any similar events in additional patients treated on study. The Company is informing regulatory agencies, which may require additional actions of the Company. The Company expects to provide additional updates on the trial in the near future.

“Our primary commitment is to maintain patient safety, which is why we decided to place the trial on hold while we investigate these events,” said Filippo Petti, Chief Executive Officer of Celyad Oncology. “We are working diligently to better understand these events. In twenty-five patients previously treated with CYAD-101 in the alloSHRINK Phase 1 trial, which evaluated the TIM-based investigational candidate for the treatment of advanced mCRC, no-dose limiting toxicities were reported. Lastly, we anticipate no impact on our shRNA-based candidates, including CYAD-211 currently under investigation for the treatment of multiple myeloma.” GlobeNewswire