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...

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: Generics Firms Trapped Between US Tariffs And European Austerity

 
• By Andy Smith

Successive annual reductions in European drug prices following the pandemic are affecting the global sales of generic pharmaceutical companies. Additionally, the imposition of US import tariffs may result in generic drug supply becoming unprofitable.

Stock Watch: On Q1 Vaccine Sales And Measles Outbreaks

 
• By Andy Smith

A recent study suggested that measles could become endemic in the US due to low vaccination rates. However, first-quarter vaccine sales offered a more nuanced picture.

Stock Watch: How GSK’s Nucala Info Drip Helped Share Price

 
• By Andy Smith

The information flow in the months before the approval of GSK’s Nucala in COPD provides an interesting case study, and brings to mind the cautionary tale of Alnylam’s Onpattro.

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.

More from Business

Draig Is All Fired Up To Transform Neuropsychiatric Field

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Wales-based group launches with $140m series A.

BIO Notebook: Policy Problems, ACIP’s Future, BI Is Popular, Makary On FDA-Industry Ties

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith and Mandy Jackson

Highlights from Day Two of the BIO International Convention include BIO officials raising concerns about Trump Administration policies, the future of ACIP, an interview with BI's head of global business development, and FDA Commissioner Martin Makary's view of the FDA-industry relationship.

Lilly Agrees To Acquire PCSK9 Base-Editing Partner Verve

 
• By Joseph Haas

Instead of opting in on Phase II-ready PCSK9-targeted VERVE-102, Lilly will buy its partner for up to $1.3bn. Analysts call the deal a bargain for Lilly, but fair to Verve.