cancer immunotherapy

GSK immunotherapy shows promise as alternative to surgery in certain rectal cancers

A small Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center study found that all rectal cancer patients treated with GSK drug Jemperli showed a complete response at six months—there were no detectable signs of the cancer. These early data presented at ASCO suggest that rectal cancer with a particular genetic signature might be treatable with this immunotherapy in lieu of the standard regimen of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Regeneron is paying $900M for full rights to cancer drug partnered with Sanofi

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has big plans for cancer immunotherapy Libtayo and it believes it can better execute on them if it has full control of the drug, currently partnered with Sanofi. Regeneron struck a deal to pay Sanofi $900 million, plus another $200 million in milestones, to secure full global rights to the asset.

By Frank Vinluan

With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?

Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.

BioPharma, Pharma

Closely watched Roche drug fails a second pivotal test in lung cancer

Roche reported that its drug tiragolumab failed to achieve one of two main goals of a Phase 3 study in non-small cell lung cancer. The antibody is designed to block TIGIT, a checkpoint protein that has been a hot target for pharmaceutical companies looking for a way to broaden the reach of cancer immunotherapy.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Cancer biotech Pheast unveils $76M to expand immunotherapy’s menu to new targets

Biotech startup Pheast Therapeutics is out of stealth taking a tack similar to that of cancer immunotherapy company Forty Seven, also a spinout from the Stanford University lab of Irving Weissman. While both companies get immune cells to eat tumors, Pheast’s technology has the potential to take the approach to a broader range of cancer types including those that have historically resisted immunotherapy.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Regeneron captures new piece for cancer with $250M Checkmate Pharma buyout

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is paying $250 million cash to acquire Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech developing drugs that activate the innate immune system. The biotech’s lead drug candidate is currently in pivotal testing in melanoma.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

FDA gives Gilead reprieve on partial hold for cancer drug studies

An FDA safety review has cleared Gilead Sciences to resume five clinical trials that were placed under a partial hold in January. The experimental Gilead drug, magrolimab, is part of a class of cancer immunotherapies that address a hot target for the field.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Werewolf cancer drug strikes right note with Jazz Pharma, sparking licensing deal

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is licensing rights to a Werewolf Therapeutics cytokine therapy that’s on track to reach clinical testing next year. The deal gives Jazz a drug candidate that expands the company’s scope to immuno-oncology.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Cell therapy biotech Affini-T gets $175M; KRAS is lead genomic cancer target

Affini-T Therapeutics is developing new cell therapies for cancer that could overcome limitations of the first generation of cell therapies. The initial genomic cancer targets of the startup are mutations of KRAS and p53, both of which have proven difficult to drug.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

BMS nabs FDA nod for first drug in new class of cancer immunotherapies

Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdualag has been approved by the FDA, a first for a drug that goes after a new cancer target called LAG-3. The drug is approved for advanced melanoma as part of a combination treatment that includes the already approved BMS cancer immunotherapy Opdivo.

By Frank Vinluan

Daily, Pharma, BioPharma

Nektar drug key to multi-billion dollar BMS deal fails pivotal test in melanoma

Bristol Myers Squibb bet more than $1.8 billion that Nektar Therapeutics’ drug could be combined with the pharma giant’s Opdivo to expand the reach of that drug to more patients. The drug combination has failed its first Phase 3 in advanced melanoma; separate studies in kidney and bladder cancers are ongoing.

By Frank Vinluan

Health Services

Maximize Revenue and Patient Care with Strategic Weight Loss Management

We will highlight Build My Health's revenue practice management tools, which could help physician practices add up to $250,000 to their practices.

By Build My Health and MedCity News

BioPharma, Pharma

Alpine Immune Sciences cancer drug trial placed on partial hold after patient death

The FDA placed a partial clinical hold on a Phase 1 study testing experimental Alpine Immune Sciences cancer drug davoceticept in combination with Merck cancer immunotherapy Keytruda. The partial hold does not affect a separate study testing the Alpine drug as a monotherapy.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Cancer biotech Rondo gets $67M to step on the gas with next-gen bispecific drugs

Rondo Therapeutics is developing bispecific antibody drugs capable of treating solid tumors, which have eluded this type of cancer therapy. Led by co-founders and Teneobio veterans Shelley Force Aldred and Nathan Trinklein, the biotech startup has emerged from stealth backed by a $67 million Series A round of funding.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

BioNTech broadens its scope in cancer with Medigene cell therapy alliance

BioNTech is acquiring a preclinical T cell receptor program (TCR) from Medigene, as well as licenses to the biotech’s TCR technologies. The agreement helps BioNTech expand its scope in cancer immunotherapy with a new approach for addressing solid tumors.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Gilead Sciences cancer drug hit with partial hold due to adverse event concern

Gilead Sciences did not disclose details about the safety concern that led to an FDA partial clinical hold on five studies evaluating its cancer drug, magrolimab. But this experimental cancer immunotherapy introduces a safety risk that's a known problem for all drugs in this class.

By Frank Vinluan

BioPharma, Pharma

Startup Avenge Bio nabs $45M for novel cell therapy approach to ovarian cancer

The field of biotechs pursuing new interleukin-2 cancer immunotherapies is filled with companies engineering different versions of that signaling protein. Avenge Bio CEO Mike Heffernan said his startup stands apart with a cell therapy that produces human IL-2 that could offer advantages compared to engineered versions of that protein.

By Frank Vinluan