Not quite a newco, Alethio Therapeutics has emerged from a period of introspection with new management and a refreshed vision of how best to translate its roots in the biology of chronic, untreatable blood cancers into meaningful therapies.

Neok Bio Inc. was formed earlier this year and is already on schedule to file an IND in a few months for its two bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to treat various types of tumors.

Lepu Biopharma Co. Ltd. said Oct. 30 it won Chinese approval of a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), Meiyouheng (becotatug vedotin injection), making it China’s first epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-directed ADC for advanced nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC).

French VC Andera Partners has reached the first close of its Biodiscovery Fund 7 at more than €300 million (US$349 million) and says it is on track to surpass the size of the previous fund, which closed at €456 million during the pandemic-driven boom of 2021.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. agreed to codevelop and commercialize up to three of Innovent Biologics Co. Ltd.’s immuno-oncology (I-O) and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates with the signing of a $11.4 billion deal, including $1.2 billion paid up front.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a mature technology. The first ADC, Mylotarg, was initially approved in 2000, and there are now 14 approved agents in both leukemias and solid tumors. According to Clarivate’s Cortellis Drug Discovery & Intelligence, those drugs collectively accounted for $13.55 billion in sales in 2024 – a figure that Cortellis projects will rise to $16 billion in 2025.

Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd. announced Oct. 21 the signing of a license deal to codevelop, manufacture and commercialize two of Phrontline Biopharma Suzhou Co. Ltd.’s novel bispecific dual-payload antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates.

The 2025 Annual Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) featured a track on tumor-agnostic therapies – the first time such a track has been included at ESMO, or at any major medical oncology meeting. “It’s a milestone,” Vivek Subbiah told the audience at a session on how to accelerate tumor-agnostic drug development.

Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) specialist Aimedbio Inc. announced Oct. 16 the signing of a potential $991 million deal with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH to license out its novel preclinical ADC asset targeting solid tumors, including KRAS mutations, which is set to enter phase I study next year.

A year and half from its inception, Adcytherix SAS has raised a €105 million (US$122 million) series A, enabling it to take the lead antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) program into clinical development next year.