Stimuvax failure dents Merck Serono but freshens Oncothyreon

Cardiff Oncology is open to going it alone, a partnership and even an exit as the San Diego, CA-based firm tries to push its PLK1 inhibitor through late-stage development.

The company said it will no longer use ALLO-647 after a patient developed a fatal adenovirus infection, and it will pursue further development of its Dagger technology to minimize or eliminate the need for lymphodepletion.

The company, with partner Bristol Myers Squibb, has a three-wave development strategy for BNT-327: “establish, combine, broaden.”

The UK major continues to post promising data readouts that further emphasize the safety and efficacy of its blockbuster lung cancer drug, but competition from J&J's Rybrevant is ramping up, and capable challengers are emerging.