Multiple updates on TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for lung and breast cancers highlight both progress made and opportunities for improvement for the targeted class of cancer therapeutics.

Payoff for the November 2023 buyout of Immunogen Inc. came for Abbvie Inc. in the form of U.S. FDA clearance for the CD123-targeting antibody-drug conjugate Decnupaz (pivekimab sunirine) to treat adults with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), an ultra-rare, aggressive and quick-killing hematologic malignancy.

Kunshan Xinyunda Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has patented new antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) consisting of humanized antibodies targeting disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 9 (ADAM9) covalently linked to a payload and potentially useful for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory disorders.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with a dual payload, which deliver two distinct cytotoxic agents via a single antibody, are emerging therapeutics developed to address the limitations of classic ADCs. Primelink Biotherapeutics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. recently presented data for their dual-payload ADCs, highlighting PLB-015, which carries a TOP1 inhibitor and an ATR inhibitor with an anti-HER2 antibody and is designed to inhibit the DNA damage response activated by cancer cells when harmed.

Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc.’s HLX-48 for injection has received approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) in Australia and been acknowledged by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The first-in-human phase I study in Australia will evaluate HLX-48 in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors.