Anticancer
Asia-Pacific continues to solidify its position as a key location for clinical trials, with China in particular dominating such activity in the region, and increasingly globally, a new Citeline White Paper shows.
The new formulation is expected to play a role in helping Merck maintain its multibillion-dollar cancer franchise after Keytruda loses exclusivity in 2028.
The drug maker anticipates a potential label expansion for Revuforj (revumenib) from KMTA2-translocation acute leukemias into NPM1-mutant AML.
Dosing eftilagimod alpha on top of Merck & Co’s blockbuster appears to improve survival, though more robust data are needed.
The company will in-license LM-299, gaining a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody that could help it defend its blockbuster PD-1 franchise against looming competition.
Analysts had hoped a prior negative result in acute myeloid leukemia would not read through to Syros’s Phase III myelodysplastic syndrome study, but SELECT-MDS-1 nevertheless failed too.
The German group is doubling down on the hot PD-(L)1 x VEGF-A bispecific space but will still have to contend with Summit and Akeso’s more advanced rival.
Pimicotinib’s Phase III data in tenosynovial giant cell tumor are better than its rivals but the fight for a small number of patients will be fierce.
Emerging Company Profile: Volastra is testing two KIF18A inhibitors in early clinical trials in ovarian cancer, backed by investors like Polaris Partners and ARCH Ventures.
Panels at the recent BioFuture conference focused on the next breakthroughs in areas such as oncology and neurodegenerative diseases, continuing challenges to GLP-1 agonists, financing and how use of AI is taking shape.
The UK group began more clinical trials last year than any other company, a new report from Citeline has found.
Troubled GlycoMimetics will merge with Crescent, bringing its PD-1- and VEGF-targeting bispecific CR-001 and gaining a public listing. Crescent also will raise $200m to help position itself against PD-1xVEGF leaders Akeso/Summit and BioNTech.
The Swiss giant has raised its forecast for the full financial year, as Cosentyx, Entresto and its oncology portfolio continue to shine, helped by the firm's sleeker selling organization.
Lyell believes ImmPACT’s dual CD19/20-targeted CAR-T could offer better response rates than Yescarta or Breyanzi and will focus on IMPT-314 while terminating much of its own pipeline.
Biostar plans to raise up to $41m through a Hong Kong IPO, which help the Chinese chemotherapy specialist progress lead asset utidelone for various oncology indications.
Although from a small Phase I/Ib study, Arcus presents data showing better response rate, disease control and tolerability for casdatifan compared to Merck’s approved renal cell carcinoma drug Welireg.
The new company, Rhine Pharma, hopes to avoid the isotope production issues that have dogged other radiopharmaceutical developers.
The deal, potentially worth more than $1.3bn, includes Modifi’s MGMT-targeting technology, which it hopes can provide a biomarker-based approach for glioblastoma multiforme.
Positive data on its anti-TIGIT antibody belrestotug meant ITeos provided one of the biggest stories at ESMO this year. CEO Michel Detheux told Scrip there was much more to come from the US-headquartered biotech founded in Belgium.
An exec said the company is confident it can ensure testing for the biomarker becomes routine for the drug, which is the first FDA-approved medicine to target CLDN18.2.