Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
Just weeks after Pfizer’s Seagen-acquired antibody-drug conjugate sigvotatug vedotin failed a Phase 3 non-small cell lung cancer study, the big pharma has quietly culled another program being developed by the ADC specialist.
As antibody-drug conjugates advance and move into earlier lines of treatment, drug developers have to build gentler therapies that don’t just extend survival but improve it.
GSK and Hansoh Pharmaceutical’s antibody-drug conjugate success validates their partnership, one of the many deals in which Big Pharma has tapped a China company for promising cancer candidates.
The centerpiece of the acquisition is Myricx Bio’s novel N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor payload platform, which could help Novartis develop antibody-drug conjugates that can overcome the limitations of existing therapies.
Recent approvals for Corcept Therapeutics and Merck have injected momentum into the space, where GSK, Allarity Therapeutics, OSE Immunotherapies and others are advancing their own candidates.
After 27 deaths were reported in a group receiving its blood cancer drug, ADC Therapeutics is downsizing, implementing layoffs for about 30 workers.
While existing antibody-drug conjugates have been incredible advancements in cancer care, patients are ready for a better experience. At the BIO International Convention in San Diego on Thursday, BioSpace will lead a discussion on the next generation of ADCs.
The acquisition gives Johnson & Johnson access to Firefly Bio’s next-gen platform designed to create degrader antibody conjugates that can crack the tricky KRAS cancer target.
In addition to a high rate of deaths, ADC Therapeutics’ Zynlonta plus rituximab showed no overall survival benefit in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, casting doubt on its value as a second-line treatment in this indication.
Merck may not have had the splashiest presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, but the data show why the Big Pharma remains king of oncology, analysts say.
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