Cancer

Analysts hailed the Phase 3 head and neck cancer results as a big victory for an asset central to Genmab’s growth plans.

Astellas Pharma could secure the exclusive global rights to Audax Biosciences’ DAX-044, an antibody-cytokine fusion therapy that activates the immune system in the vicinity of the tumor.

Merck stole the show at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) annual conference, with new data on its Moderna-partnered personalized cancer vaccine leaking prior to the presentation and antibody-drug conjugate sac-TMT making a splash in endometrial cancer; Bristol Myers Squibb revealed the death of a patient with multiple sclerosis in an early-stage trial of zola-cel; and pharma is on track to easily surpass last year’s deal count.

In a Phase 1 study, treatment with Incyte’s KRAS G12D inhibitor in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy elicited an 89% confirmed objective response rate in patients with a type of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, leading analysts to draw comparisons with Revolution Medicines’ zoldonrasib.

Sac-TMT significantly extended overall and progression-free survival for patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer by 6.9 months over chemotherapy in a Phase 3 trial—becoming the first TROP2-directed ADC to do so in this setting, Merck told BioSpace.

JNJ-6143, which came from Johnson & Johnson’s $3 billion takeover of Halda Therapeutics in 2025, showed a 75% overall response rate in the Phase 1 readout.

After sitting through the full presentation on the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial at the ESMO Congress over the weekend, analysts are more keen on the personalized mRNA cancer vaccine data that last week spurred a stock selloff for both partners.

When used alongside AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi, the bispecific T cell engager Imdelltra extended survival by eight months versus Imfinzi alone in Phase 3 study testing the combo in a first-line maintenance setting—a potentially “practice-changing” outcome, according to Truist Securities.

Extending both progression-free and overall survival, Genmab’s Rina-S “sets a high bar for future competition” in a market served by AbbVie, analysts said.

A combination of Tango Therapeutics’ vopimetostat and Revolution Medicines’ recently approved Rasonque led to a response rate of 82% in an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial—a drop from 92% that was reported in June in fewer patients.