Cancer

Merck continues to diversify its cancer efforts as the clock ticks down on Keytruda’s patent, picking up rights to a preclinical oncology asset in a deal that could exceed $2 billion.
Merck and Daiichi Sankyo’s withdrawal of an accelerated approval request for the antibody-drug conjugate ifinatamab deruxtecan is a “net positive” for rivals like GSK and Roche, according to RBC Capital Markets.
Ten patients out of 20 who received Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech’s Carvykti remained alive at five years of follow up.
Genentech’s agreement with Earendil Labs came the same day its parent company, Roche, inked a cardiometabolic and renal deal with Atavistik Bio for up to $2 billion.
InnoCare Pharma is the latest addition to Eli Lilly’s dealmaking spree, which includes some of the biggest acquisitions this year: up to $7 billion for Kelonia Therapeutics in April and up to $7.8 billion for Centessa Pharmaceuticals in March.
In this episode of Denatured presented by Curium, Jennifer Smith-Parker speaks to Mike Patterson, CEO North America and Professor Sabine Brookman-May, vice president and head of Global Clinical Development. We look at the momentum behind radioligand therapy and how its diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities are improving care for more than 14 million patients worldwide.
FDA
Novo plans to hit $23B in revenue by 2035, has further reduced its workforce by 4,000 and is boosting manufacturing capacity for its Wegovy pill, but investors are unconvinced it will be enough to turn things around; Viking Therapeutics and Roche report positive results for their weight loss assets; Ultragenyx snags FDA approval for its Sanfilippo syndrome gene therapy; IPOs keep on coming.
FDA
Citing the urgent unmet need for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer, Compass Therapeutics will continue to seek an approval path for its drug after the FDA recommended the biotech conduct a new clinical study.
Envisagenics’ platform makes use of AI to screen and detect cancer-specific RNA alterations, which Boehringer Ingelheim wants to target through various precision treatment modalities, including multi-specific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and T cell engagers.
Delivering therapeutics directly to tumors, as in the case of Replimune’s recently approved Tudriqev and Amgen’s Imlygic, holds advantages, especially when cancer is caught early, but challenges remain before the method becomes a mainstay in treatment.
PRESS RELEASES