Featured | | By Angus Liu In a closely watched competition among KRAS inhibitors, Amgen leads the pack with a randomized trial win in lung cancer. Now, the California drugmaker is giving a first look at the detailed data that could set the bar for all others to come, including Mirati Therapeutics, Roche and Novartis. |
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Top Stories By Nick Paul Taylor The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress could have been a victory lap for Bristol Myers Squibb and Nektar Therapeutics, the moment when a bold bet delivered clinical data to upend the immuno-oncology space. Instead, the partners were left to sift through the wreckage of a failed trial that suggested bempegaldesleukin may make Opdivo less—not more—effective. By Angus Liu Many Gilead Sciences investors have lost faith in Trodelvy for HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer after disappointing tumor progression data. But the drug has now made a surprise comeback with a life extension benefit that came above industry watchers’ expectations, reigniting blockbuster hopes. Sponsored By Evidation Moderna’s COVID-19 antibody response study, made possible by Evidation, reports individuals who received Moderna’s vaccine series had more durable antibody levels than those who received Pfizer. By Angus Liu Exelixis is hoping a triplet based on Cabometyx and two Bristol Myers Squibb checkpoint inhibitors could have a place in the crowded newly diagnosed kidney cancer space. But data so far suggest an uphill battle ahead. By Kevin Dunleavy Wednesday at the European Society for Medical Oncology’s annual conference, trial data were presented showing that Seagen's Padcev and Merck's Keytruda perform well together against a form of bladder cancer and that Padcev is a strong contributor to the combo treatment. By Angus Liu Merck’s Keytruda has long established itself as standard of care in newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer. But now Roche aims to carve out a market for Tecentriq by targeting a neglected group of patients. By Max Bayer Four months after the latest trial failure for Roche’s tiragolumab, GSK is still pushing ahead with its own anti-TIGIT inhibitor, bullish that plenty of opportunities remain for the next-gen therapy. By Max Bayer Regeneron is bullish on its efforts to treat ovarian cancer and new data has provided a boost to its ambitions. A taste of phase 1 findings from one of the company's bispecific antibodies showed a 14.3% objective response rate in a heavily pretreated population. By Angus Liu Bristol Myers Squibb's and Roche's immunotherapies have both failed to move the needle when used after surgery in early-stage kidney cancer. But the two companies’ setbacks aren’t necessarily a full relief for Merck’s rival drug Keytruda. By Angus Liu A surprise Keytruda failure in liver cancer spells good news not just for established immunotherapy player Roche but also for potential contenders Jiangsu Hengrui Pharma and a partnership between BeiGene and Novartis. By Max Bayer In a race to design the next era of checkpoint inhibitors, AstraZeneca PD-L1 and CTLA-4 bispecific show efficacy rivaling data against Keytruda in first line lung cancer patients. But the dose level eliciting strong durability also came with significant toxicity, spurring a dose reduction. By Nick Paul Taylor BioNTech has shared a fresh cut of data from a phase 1/2 clinical trial of its CAR-T cell therapy candidate BNT211, revealing a decline in the all-comer response rate but cementing the asset’s credentials as a potential treatment for testicular cancer. By Angus Liu Merck has failed in an attempt to repeat Keytruda’s metastatic head and neck cancer success in locally advanced disease. But experts still see reasons to keep their hopes up for the drug in early stages of this tumor type. By Nick Paul Taylor Another successful antibody-drug conjugate looks set to roll off Daiichi Sankyo’s production line. After teasing early data on the B7-H3-directed candidate one year ago, the Japanese drugmaker has now linked DS-7300 to a 58% response rate in small cell lung cancer and responses in other tumors. By Max Bayer Fresh off head-turning new phase 2 data, AstraZeneca spinout Dizal says its planning to launch a phase 3 trial of its niche NSCLC treatment in the U.S. before the end of the year. The news comes as the small biotech hopes to keep up with larger pharmas that nabbed approval for the same indication in 2021. By Nick Paul Taylor Mirati Therapeutics has taken the lid off updated data on KRAS inhibitor adagrasib in colorectal cancer. Having established itself as the front-runner in the space last year, the biotech has presented a new look at the data that largely reaffirm the earlier findings. By Angus Liu In a heated PARP inhibitor race with GSK, AstraZeneca and Merck hope some new survival data could consolidate Lynparza’s lead in an ovarian cancer subset. But Merck can’t say the same about a potential prostate cancer expansion. By Angus Liu Back in 2018, Hutchmed’s fruquintinib became China’s first homemade drug approved locally in a major cancer type. Now, armed with a global trial win, the Chinese biotech is targeting the U.S. colorectal cancer market, with eyes on Bayer and Taiho Pharma. By Max Bayer EZH2 inhibitors have shown their potential—already with one approved therapy and a few in the pipeline—and Pfizer is one of the latest biopharmas to add the tool to its clinical belt. And phase 1 data presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology congress 2022 point to a positive safety profile, with glimpses of benefit for some cancer patients, though not all. By Conor Hale The advent of blood tests that can detect multiple different cancers at early stages will not only reshape how the disease is diagnosed but will bring about a major shift in the delivery of care. By Max Bayer Relay Therapeutics is walking away from ESMO with strong response data in a new cohort of patients testing the company's bile duct cancer med. The company reported a nearly 90% objective response rate among 17 patients taking the recommended phase 2 dose. By Angus Liu Keytruda’s KEYNOTE-189 trial marked a watershed moment in the history of lung cancer drug development by showing a monster survival benefit. Now, Merck & Co. is giving a five-year look at the data that made the PD-1 inhibitor the standard of care in newly diagnosed patients. | 