After falling 4.74% in the first quarter (Q1), the BioWorld Cancer Index (BCI) staged a strong recovery in Q2, ending the period up 12.78%. The broader markets followed a similar trajectory, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounding from a 4.41% loss at the end of April to close Q2 with a 3.64% gain. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index also improved, trimming its earlier 5.37% decline to finish June down just 1.92%.
Exelixis Inc.’s positive phase III top-line data June 22 with zanzalintinib (zanza) in colorectal cancer had Wall Street speculating anew about the odds with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor in an important indication.
Puretech Health plc’s rollout May 20 of more phase IIb data with deupirfenidone (LYT-100) in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) perked optimism for that compound – a deuterated form of p38 MAP kinase inhibitor pirfenidone – as well as others in the busy therapeutic space.
The BioWorld Cancer Index reversed its early year losses, rebounding from a 4.74% decline at the end of the first quarter (Q1) to finish Q2 up 12.78%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average followed a similar pattern, dropping to -4.41% by the end of April before recovering to a 3.64% gain by Q2’s end. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, down 5.37% at the end of May, narrowed its losses to close June down just 1.92%.
While the first meeting of the U.S. CDC’s newly minted Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) is now recent history, questions about the makeup of the committee and its future direction remain unanswered.
BioWorld tracked 223 clinical trial updates across phases I to III in May 2025, marking an increase from 197 in March and 151 in April. Among these, 17 trials reported positive phase III results, while two ended in failure and another two delivered mixed outcomes.
Experts in mRNA convened at the Global Vaccine Forum (GVF) 2025 to weigh the present and future of vaccine technology, including emerging innovations in self-amplifying mRNA (sa-mRNA) and drug delivery platforms. “Breakthroughs in mRNA and next-generation vaccine platforms are revolutionizing how we prepare for and respond to global health challenges,” Jerome H. Kim, International Vaccine Institute (IVI) director general, told the audience in Seoul, South Korea, June 19.
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