ORIC Pharmaceuticals: A Promising Combination in the Fight Against NSCLC

ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ORIC) has announced a significant clinical supply agreement with Janssen Research & Development, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company. The collaboration aims to evaluate ORIC-114, a brain penetrant, orally bioavailable, irreversible EGFR/HER2 inhibitor, in combination with subcutaneous (SC) amivantamab, Johnson & Johnson's fully-human EGFR-MET bispecific antibody, for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations.

Under the terms of the agreement, ORIC will conduct and sponsor the trial, while Johnson & Johnson will provide SC amivantamab. ORIC maintains development and commercial rights to ORIC-114 and is free to expand the program in combination with other agents.

ORIC-114 has already demonstrated encouraging systemic and intracranial activity in heavily pre-treated patients with EGFR/HER2 mutated NSCLC. The combination with amivantamab is expected to provide superior efficacy compared to existing treatments, particularly in the first-line setting and for patients with brain metastases. The two-pronged mechanism combining ORIC-114's EGFR/HER2 inhibition with amivantamab's EGFR-MET targeting could potentially provide a more comprehensive attack on cancer cells, including those that have spread to the brain.

The primary objectives of the Phase 1b trial are to determine the provisional recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) for the combination and to assess efficacy and further characterize the safety profile of ORIC-114 in combination with SC amivantamab. The company expects to initiate the trial in the first quarter of 2025 and report initial data in mid-2026.

The NSCLC market with EGFR mutations represents a multi-billion dollar opportunity, and successful positioning in the first-line treatment setting could significantly expand ORIC's market potential. The agreement with Janssen is particularly favorable for ORIC, as Johnson & Johnson provides the combination drug while ORIC maintains full development and commercial rights to ORIC-114. This arrangement preserves ORIC's flexibility to pursue additional combination studies with other agents, potentially creating significant value without substantial financial risk.



The market cap of ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ORIC) could see meaningful appreciation if the combination demonstrates superior efficacy, especially in the lucrative first-line setting. The NSCLC market with EGFR mutations represents a multi-billion dollar opportunity, and successful positioning in the first-line treatment setting could significantly expand ORIC's market potential.

In conclusion, the clinical supply agreement between ORIC Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Research & Development is a strategic move in the NSCLC treatment landscape. The combination of ORIC-114 with amivantamab targets an important unmet need in EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, particularly significant given ORIC-114's demonstrated brain penetrance. The two-pronged mechanism combining ORIC-114's EGFR/HER2 inhibition with amivantamab's EGFR-MET targeting could potentially provide superior efficacy compared to monotherapy approaches. The agreement represents significant value creation potential for ORIC Pharmaceuticals without substantial financial risk, and the market cap of ORIC could see meaningful appreciation if the combination demonstrates superior efficacy, especially in the first-line setting.