Scientifically at least, the biggest story coming out of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2022 Congress is the success of cell therapy in solid tumors. “During this ESMO, there is a lot of novelty coming from T-cell therapies,” John Haanen told the audience at his joint keynote speech with Ton Schumacher – so much so that Haanen and Schumacher, both group leaders at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, left antibodies out of their keynote session in order to do justice to the advances in cell therapies.
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. celebrated a long-awaited win with the U.S. FDA’s approval late Sept. 9 of novel G-CSF drug eflapegrastim, cleared for use in chemotherapy-induced neutropenia nearly four years after the company first filed for regulatory approval. Despite moves this year to reduce its cash burn, Spectrum has ready to go a commercial team expected to sell eflapegrastim as well as cancer drug poziotinib, which is under FDA review with a PDUFA date of Nov. 24, 2022.
Catalym GmbH reported in an oral session at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Paris that its first-in-class growth differentiation factor 15 inhibitor, visugromab, demonstrated preliminary signs of efficacy in a heavily pretreated group of cancer patients who were resistant or refractory to checkpoint inhibitors.
New and updated preclinical and clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022, including: Adaptimmune, Curelab, Novartis.
Genexine Co. Ltd.’s DNA vaccine, GX-188E, showed potential in extending overall survival in patients with advanced cervical cancer in a phase II study when given in combination with Merck & Co. Inc.’s anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda (pembrolizumab).
New and updated preclinical and clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022, including: Debiopharm, Elevar, Genexine, Gilead, Hutchmed, Innovent.
ESMO late breakers were released Sept. 8, and scientifically at least, a key theme of the meeting will be that cell therapies, at long last, are capable of besting solid tumors.
Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd. plans to raise up to ¥3.969 billion (US$570 million) by issuing no more than 70 million A shares to target subscribers on the Shanghai STAR Market.
Arsenal Biosciences Inc. closed on an oversubscribed $220 million series B financing so it could continue developing its programmable cell therapy research programs and its candidates for treating solid tumor malignancies. Arsenal’s lead program is AB-1015 for treating ovarian cancer.
For privately held Good Therapeutics Inc., founded in 2016 with a platform technology for developing context-dependent therapeutics, the plan had always been to seek a buyer for the first asset to emerge. One came along a little earlier than expected, as Roche Holding AG entered a merger agreement for Good, picking up preclinical-stage PD-1-regulated IL-2 program, in exchange for an up-front cash payment of $250 million.
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