Pancreatic cancer
Cancer cocktails pairing Moderna’s mRNA-4359 with Merck’s Keytruda and Marengo’s invikafusp alfa with Gilead Sciences’ Trodelvy showed promising results, while a complex combination by Agenus and MiNK Therapeutics failed to elicit an overall response.
Fresh off a major clinical win, Revolution Medicines alleges that Erasca’s pancreatic cancer drug infringes on key patent protections and that the rival has “improperly compared” the companies’ assets publicly.
Doubling survival in pancreatic cancer, a long-fought rare disease approval, a massive IPO and ambitious biotech entrepreneurs have BioSpace Senior Editor Annalee Armstrong feeling upbeat about the biotech scene.
After Revolution Medicines’ drug candidate doubled survival in a Phase 3 pancreatic cancer study, the biotech is hoping to attract more investor money, with new plans for a $2 billion stock and debt offering.
In a difficult disease, Revolution Medicines achieved what the pancreatic cancer community has long desired: a significant improvement in survival. The Phase 3 results will support global regulatory filings.
Investors are apparently taking bets on when Revolution will be acquired. A handful of pharmas could be interested as Merck backs off.
Artios Pharma is working on a pipeline of oncology assets, led by alnodesertib, currently being tested for second-line pancreatic cancer and third-line colorectal cancer.
Truist analysts called the results “encouraging” while pointing out certain unknowns in the data. Immuneering plans to kick off a registrational trial for atebimetinib later this year.
In May, Revolution Medicines projected its cash and equivalents of $2.1 billion would last into the second half of 2027. With new funding from Royalty Pharma, the biotech has withdrawn that runway end date.
Alongside the layoffs, Alligator will also suspend work on all of its earlier-stage assets and devote its resources to lead candidate mitazalimab, being developed for the frontline treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
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