Cancer
Partners Summit Therapeutics and Akeso are expected to steal the show at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual conference with data from their potential Keytruda rival, alongside Revolution Medicine’s groundbreaking pancreatic cancer candidate and other assets that could reshape patient care.
The tragic tale of TIGIT is well known. However, RIPK1, myc, STING and alpha-synuclein have also left a trail of failed clinical trials, canceled partnerships and sunk investments in their wake.
Treatment with the TROP2 ADC sac-TMT led to a 70% objective response rate and progression-free survival was “significantly improved” as compared to placebo—the second positive readout for the asset this week.
Merck and Kelun-Biotech’s antibody-drug conjugate significantly improved progression-free and overall survival in a pivotal endometrial cancer study, though the companies have yet to specify when they plan to file for approval.
A month after reporting that its RAS inhibitor daraxonrasib doubled survival in advanced pancreatic cancer, Truist said Revolution Medicines “is evolving into a major revenue-generating oncology company,” and projects an approval in second-line disease by the end of the third quarter.
The late-stage miss shakes analyst confidence in Regeneron’s clinical execution, according to BMO Capital Markets, also noting last year’s Phase 3 failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Last month, Revolution Medicines’ RAS inhibitor doubled survival in a Phase 3 pancreatic cancer trial. On the biotech’s heels are Immuneering, Actuate Therapeutics, Erasca and more, looking to improve on that result with increased tolerability—and more time for patients.
CREATE Medicines is working on a clinical-stage pipeline for cancer, while its autoimmune programs are still in preclinical testing.
Beqalzi is the first BCL2 inhibitor approved for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma.
Of the 13 programs that the companies will advance, four will come from Hengrui Pharma and four from Bristol Myers Squibb. The remaining five assets will be jointly discovered.
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