1. Scrip
  2. >>Business
  3. >>Stock Watch

Stock Watch: Cancer Combination Therapies Face Rising Bar

Additive Improvements Are Getting Harder To Demonstrate

 
• By Andy Smith

Improving efficacy by combining drugs has been a mainstay of cancer therapy but adding new targeted drugs together based on very early-stage data is not working out, especially when one of the drugs is barely active on its own.

Andy Smith
ANDY SMITH OFFERS A LIFE SCIENCE INVESTOR'S PERSPECTIVE ON BIOPHARMA BUSINESS

In better times for biotechnology companies, the release of abstracts of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting would provide more positive than negative stock price reactions. But a press release and then an abstract drop ahead of ASCO dashed investors’ expectations for one small biotech company and provided warnings on wider issues for much bigger ones.

SpringWorks Therapeutics Inc.’s management was probably hoping to ride the combination one-two punch of a press release on its Phase III study and the ASCO update on the Phase...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Stock Watch

Stock Watch: Q1 Sales Trends And Forex Muddle Pharma Outlook

 
• By Andy Smith

Pharma firms tended to downplay first-quarter trends in full-year guidance. However, raised guidance seems fragile amid ongoing foreign exchange effects and Medicare Part D redesign pressures.

Stock Watch: Bayer, Bavarian Nordic Bring European Cheer To Pharma

 
• By Andy Smith

Investors welcomed Bavarian Nordic’s and Bayer’s earnings announcements. However, both stock prices declined over the day of their reports as the impact of recent pressures weighed.

Stock Watch: Stock Watch: Lilly And Novo Duke Out Q1

 
• By Andy Smith

Novo Nordisk enjoyed a surprise GLP-1 agonist contracting win in the first quarter of 2025. This provided a welcome boost to its stock after it had spent the previous quarter on the back foot against rival Lilly.

Stock Watch: Market Optimism Outshines Q1 Currency And Tariff Woes

 
• By Andy Smith

The weak US dollar helped some companies reporting first-quarter results and hindered others reporting in stronger currencies. But even the impacts of currencies and Medicare modernization on first-quarter revenues were overlooked when an end to the trade wars seemed possible.

More from Business

Quick Listen: Scrip’s Five Must-Know Things

 
• By Ian Haydock

In this week's episode: Novo Nordisk’s CEO forced out; quantifying biopharma’s contribution to the US economy; a history of MASH deals; lift for AstraZeneca’s asthma ambitions; and major Japanese firms see US revenue growth.

Gilead Ready To Go After Hepatitis D Again

 
• By Joseph Haas

Following an FDA complete response in 2022, Gilead is getting ready to refile bulevirtide for hepatitis D. The drug already is approved in the EU, UK and elsewhere.

Progress In The Effort To Improve Outcomes In SCLC

 
• By Jessica Merrill

Several drug makers are working to bring new advances to small-cell lung cancer, a fast-growing cancer with limited treatment options.