Sessions at the European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress, that has just concluded, provided an excellent opportunity for investors and analysts alike to familiarize themselves with the late-stage progress of new therapeutics aimed at improving cancer treatment. Overall, data presented at the meeting appear to have been positively received, a factor that has helped push up the value of the price-weighted BioWorld Cancer index this month.
The number of biopharma deals and mergers and acquisitions completed so far within the past three months are significantly down from each of the first two quarters of 2020. But despite slumping activity and uninspiring M&A values, the projected values of licensings, collaborations and joint ventures, at about $45.4 billion, has placed the nearly complete third quarter in line with the rest of the year. That is mainly due to July and August having two of the largest deals for the year. Together, they make up 27% of the money disclosed in the third quarter, although there is still a week and a half left in September.
The importance of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway in orchestrating the body’s innate response to pathogenic, tumor or self-DNA in the cytoplasm has made it a hot target in immunology research and drug discovery, and several biopharma companies have started programs dedicated to that area, spanning infectious and inflammatory diseases as well as cancer. The second part of this feature examines the products undergoing preclinical development as well as the ones that are now in clinical testing.
While COVID-19 is responsible for about 14% of the regulatory data collected by BioWorld in 2020 and even though numerous clinical trials have suffered delays, the pandemic does not appear to have slowed the pace of the FDA’s approval process.
The CDC estimates that sickle cell disease affects well over 100,000 Americans, with the disease occurring most often in African Americans. September has been designated as National Sickle Cell Awareness month designed to focus attention on the ongoing research in this field and the need for new treatments.
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are making a comeback. After a relatively slow start with Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin, Seattle Genetics Inc.) and Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine, Roche Holding AG) approved by the FDA in 2011 and 2013, respectively, the regulatory activity has swelled with four FDA approvals over the last nine months.
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