Amgen deals 'knockdown punch' with Lumakras approval, but decades of work lie ahead AstraZeneca, Merck to expand Lynparza's blockbuster territory with big early breast cancer showing Novartis' radiotherapy ambition takes a small hit as Lutathera relegated to 'clinically relevant' survival edge Gilead's Kite soars over Novartis' CAR-T turf with Tecartus win in type of leukemia Merck's LAG-3 antibody boosts Keytruda in hard-to-treat colon cancer Roche's Tecentriq grabs I-O's first win in post-surgery lung cancer, but it's limited—and an FDA approval could be, too Merck's Keytruda targets Pfizer's shaky Sutent post-surgery use in kidney cancer Amgen's stomach cancer drug, nabbed in Five Prime buyout, extends patients' lives in phase 2 Bristol Myers touts 2 Opdivo esophageal cancer wins, but the Yervoy combo comes with a caveat Novartis backs up $2.1B Endocyte buyout with prostate cancer data Positive trial shows Novartis' Kymriah poised to play catch-up in CAR-T rivalry with Gilead's Yescarta J&J's anti-BCMA CAR-T pads its case ahead of speedy review and Bristol Myers showdown Is pharma ready to talk cure in cancer? Maybe with equitable access, more screening, ASCO preview panel says Featured Story | By Annalee Armstrong You’d think Amgen would still be celebrating in the halls after scoring an FDA approval for the KRAS inhibitor Lumakras just one week ago, but there’s just too much to do. The company is instead looking to a new cohort from its pivotal trial, which is beginning to reveal the patients most likely to benefit from the drug formerly known as sotorasib. read more |
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Top Stories By Angus Liu Amid increasing competition from GlaxoSmithKline's Zejula, AstraZeneca and Merck are eyeing an HER2-negative niche in the post-surgery breast cancer market for Lynparza. The latest clinical trial data spell a home-run win. read more By Angus Liu Radiopharmaceuticals, along with cell and gene therapy, is one of the advanced drug platforms Novartis has pegged for long-term growth. But that ambition has hit a small setback: In data presented at ASCO, Lutathera failed to significantly prolong the lives of patients with midgut neuroendocrine tumors. read more By Angus Liu For years, Gilead Sciences’ Kite Pharma didn’t enter the acute lymphoblastic leukemia field after its CAR-T rival Novartis got there first with Kymriah. But that may soon change. The California drugmaker now has data showing its newer CAR-T drug Tecartus could clear cancer in previously treated adult patients. read more By Amirah Al Idrus PD-1 inhibitors work well in about one-fifth of patients with colorectal cancer, but the other 80% are not so lucky. Their tumors are immunologically “cold,” meaning they don’t respond to immunotherapies like Merck’s Keytruda. Enter favezelimab, Merck’s LAG-3-targeting antibody, which helped Keytruda make a dent in metastatic colorectal cancer in very sick patients in a phase 1 study. read more By Angus Liu In early cancer that’s amenable to surgery, a field viewed as the next battleground for PD-1/L1 immunotherapies, Roche’s Tecentriq has claimed the first post-operative win in non-small cell lung cancer. But the drug’s role, at least in some patients, remains unclear. read more By Angus Liu Since 2017, Pfizer’s Sutent has been approved to help prevent tumors from returning in high-risk kidney cancer patients after surgery, but its efficacy and safety are far from ideal. Now, Merck & Co. hopes to establish a new standard of care with its PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda. read more By Amirah Al Idrus Amgen battled other biopharma suitors for Five Prime Therapeutics early this year, emerging victorious in March with a $1.9 billion deal to snap up the cancer-focused biotech. Now, the company is painting a fuller picture for bemarituzumab, the crown jewel of the buyout, showing the treatment helped patients with advanced stomach cancer live longer. read more By Angus Liu It was just March when Merck & Co.’s Keytruda landed an FDA go-ahead to treat newly diagnosed esophageal cancer. Now, Bristol Myers Squibb hopes two of its Opdivo regimens can stand toe to toe with its archrival, although one comes with a caveat. read more By Amirah Al Idrus Two years after splashing out $2.1 billion on Endocyte, Novartis is unveiling full phase 3 data for the radiopharmaceutical it picked up in that deal. The treatment, given alongside standard of care, added four months to the lives of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, helping them live a median of 15.3 months and reducing the risk of death by 38%. read more By Kevin Dunleavy Since 2017, when they both won their first CAR-T approvals for lymphoma, Novartis' Kymriah and Gilead's Yescarta have developed a heated rivalry. With a report of strong trial results, Kymriah has gained some ground in the competition. read more By Amirah Al Idrus Just days after moving their multiple myeloma CAR-T into the FDA’s fast lane, Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech are unveiling new data to pad its case. The treatment shrank tumors in 98% of very sick patients with multiple myeloma and eliminated them in 80% of patients. read more By Beth Snyder Bulik As the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference preps to open this week, AstraZeneca asked cancer experts what they think about mentioning the C-word—in this case, cure—in talking about cancer treatment. The exercise shone a light on drug development advances—and what happens as some cancer cures move within reach. read more |
