Immuno-oncology

BioNTech Aims To Diversify BNT323 Manufacturing As Filing Nears

 

The company plans to expand manufacturing of the HER2-targeting ADC beyond China and plans to file for US FDA approval in 2025.

Merck Set To Add Perioperative Head-And-Neck Cancer To Keytruda Label

 
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With positive data versus radiation therapy in KEYNOTE-689, Merck & Co. files for approval in perioperative head and neck cancer, adding to additional claim in that cancer type.

Akeso Explains Ivonescimab Prelim OS Data After Investors’ Negative Reactions

 

Akeso explains the circumstances behind the release of preliminary overall survival data from a head-to-head Phase III trial with ivonescimab in lung cancer, which some investors viewed as disappointing.

Gilead Pipeline Progress Offsets Oncology Sales Slowdown

 

Sales of the company’s approved cancer therapies were weaker or down, but Trodelvy is likely to see a label expansion and cell therapies are making progress.


Akeso Wins US Approval For PD-1 Antibody In NPC, Partly On US Data

 

Akeso’s penpulimab will be the second to hit the US market for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but the first to win FDA approval for the indication based on clinical findings in US patients.

Data From China Bolster Summit/Akeso’s Case For Ivonescimab

 

Results from the Phase III HARMONi-6 trial showed the PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody beating out BeiGene’s Tevimbra in NSCLC.

Arbele Leverages Rights As It Drugs Proprietary CDH17 Target

 

Arbele has emerged as a global leader in the Cadherin 17 area, not only in clinical progress but also for its “secret recipe” for application in T-cell engagers, its CEO tells Scrip.

Gilead Set To Expand Trodelvy/Keytruda Into Frontline TNBC

 

The company reported positive topline results for ASCENT-04, which also bode well for the ASCENT-03 trial in patients with low PD-L1 expression.


In Brief: BriaCell’s Breast Cancer Cell Therapy Boosts Survival In Phase II

 

BriaCell announced its cell therapy Bria-IMT plus checkpoint inhibitors bested Gilead’s Trodelvy in a Phase II trial in HR+ breast cancer; a Phase III trial is enrolling.

Scancell Signs UK Match-Making Pact For Melanoma Vaccine

 
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The Oxford group has linked up with the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

Bristol’s Opdivo + Yervoy Gets FDA Liver, Colorectal Cancer Nods

 
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Bristol Myers Squibb notched two approvals in one week for its immuno-oncology combination, pitting the regimen head-to-head with Keytruda in a subset of CRC and with two combos in HCC.

BeiGene Ends Anti-TIGIT Development In Lung Cancer

 
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BeiGene’s Phase III ociperlimab joins the list of failed TIGIT inhibitors, as candidates from Roche, Merck & Co. and others have failed late-stage studies.


Merck Gets Closer To Extending Keytruda Franchise With Subcutaneous Version

 

Merck expects Keytruda to come under Medicare price controls in 2028, but an analyst said the subcutaneous version could shield revenues for the franchise.

Rybrevant/Lazcluze Survival Win Could Overcome Tagrisso’s Convenience Advantage

 

J&J is confident that its bispecific antibody/kinase inhibitor combo’s overall survival win over AstraZeneca’s single-agent pill will shift the standard of care.

BioNTech Seeks New Partners To Boost PD-L1xVEGF Competitor

 

Increasingly focused on maximizing and accelerating the progress of its PD-L1 x VEGF inhibitor BNT357, the company expects new partnerships to be announced this year.

Sun Sets Up For PD-L1 Play With Checkpoint Acquisition

 

Sun is acquiring Checkpoint Therapeutics, opening up opportunities to build out its strategy in the onco-derm segment with the US firm’s FDA-approved anti-PD-L1 mAb.


Gastric Cancer Is Another Perioperative Win For AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi

 

The MATTERHORN study could set Imfinzi up for another new perioperative use, even though the gastric cancer trial has yet to demonstrate an overall survival benefit.

BioNTech Can Rival Summit In VEGF x PD-(L)1 Bispecifics

 

Summit and Akeso have established a big lead in lung cancer with ivonescimab, but BioNTech aims to make its rival, BNT327, the leader in other tumor types.

BeiGene Scores Label Expansion For Tevimbra In Frontline Esophageal Cancer

 

The company sees a potential billion-dollar market opportunity in its approved indications and is launching the drug in what an exec called “a very targeted fashion” at a recent conference.

Pfizer And Summit Move Fast To Combine Ivonescimab With ADCs

 

The companies will work together to combine Summit’s PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody ivonescimab, with Pfizer’s antibody drug conjugates, but have not signed any licensing deals as yet.