Cancer
In advanced non-small cell lung cancer, Summit Therapeutics’ ivonescimab appears to be 49% more effective at reducing the risk of disease progression or death versus Merck’s Keytruda in a late-stage study. However, analysts contend the caveat is that the trial was conducted in an entirely Chinese patient population.
Follow-up data from the MARIPOSA study show a favorable overall survival trend versus Tagrisso in EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The findings come just weeks after the Rybrevant-Lazcluze combination was approved for the first-line treatment.
Using a computational biomarker, the companies say they can identify which patients would derive significant clinical benefit from their experimental antibody-drug conjugate. AstraZeneca and Roche are co-developing and commercializing a companion diagnostic for the biomarker.
Bispecific antibodies and anti-TIGIT therapies both appear to be writing comeback stories as cancer experts head to Barcelona for the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress. Radioligand therapies and synthetic lethality assets are also attracting attention.
The company is building a new facility in California, its third U.S.-based radioligand therapy production site, and expanding an Indianapolis site for producing isotopes for cancer treatment.
Proceeds from the oversubscribed financing will be used to advance ArsenalBio’s lead programs, which include a handful of solid tumor cell therapy candidates.
NuCana’s chemotherapy replacement has failed to improve progression-free survival in a Phase II test, sending the biotech’s shares down by 50%.
The pharma continued its clinical losing streak on Thursday with the announcement that it is discontinuing late-stage studies of the anti-PD-1 therapy in non-small cell lung cancer and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
With the FDA’s rejection of Ordspono in March, Monday’s green light from the European Commission marks the first approval worldwide and the first regulatory victory for Regeneron’s bispecific antibody platform.
The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee in a Sept. 26 meeting will discuss whether the regulator should restrict approval of checkpoint inhibitors based on PD-L1 expression levels.
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