CHICAGO – In what ASCO expert John Heymach described as a "watershed moment" for people with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), phase III findings from a trial testing the newer ALK inhibitor Alecensa (alectinib, Roche Holding AG) against standard-of-care Xalkori (crizotinib, Pfizer Inc.) showed that the former stopped tumor growth for a median of 15 months longer and caused fewer side effects.
CHICAGO – Reactions were somewhat muted as the lid came off Roche Holding AG's data from the Aphinity trial, the phase III experiment in 4,805 women with HER2-positive breast cancer, showing that to add a second HER2-targeted medicine, Perjeta (pertuzumab), on top of standard-of-care Herceptin (trastuzumab) after surgery may help, but the benefit was not especially powerful. Jefferies analyst Jeffrey Holford called the results "at the bottom of expectations" and said in a research report that Aphinity hit the target, "but only just."
CHICAGO – From a newfangled approach deploying chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to an "old-fashioned" way of tackling mesothelioma, ASCO experts highlighted efforts across a spectrum of would-be cancer therapies.
CHICAGO – Merck KGaA deepened its relationship with F-star Biotechnology Ltd., begun in 2010, by way of a new pact to develop and commercialize five bispecific immuno-oncology antibodies in an arrangement that could be worth about €1 billion (US$1.12 billion) if the pharma giant likes what it sees in a data package yet to come.
CHICAGO – For men with prostate cancer (PC), the already good news regarding Zytiga (abiraterone, Johnson & Johnson) that came out of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting may get even better, and soon.
CHICAGO – Detailed results from the phase III OLYMPIAD trial testing Astrazeneca plc's poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, Lynparza (olaparib), in BRCA-related metastatic breast cancer rang the plenary session bell and won accolades from ASCO president Daniel Hayes. "This is really a major step forward for us," he said, noting that immunotherapy, survivorship and precision medicine bubbled up as major themes in this year's abstracts.
CHICAGO – New research has given the nod for cancer doctors to cut in half the term of chemotherapy for those with lymph node-positive (stage III) tumors, thus sharply reducing the toll taken on patients in the forms of nerve damage, diarrhea and fatigue.
CHICAGO – As most sessions in the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting dealt with clinical testing of drugs, discovery of biomarkers and diagnostic techniques, other key findings rolled out that addressed another aspect of cancer, important but less often spoken about in therapeutic circles: the psychological distress of people afflicted with the disease.
In what CEO Dinesh Patel called a “front-end-loaded deal that is significant from now through successful completion of phase II trials,” Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. sealed a deal potentially worth $990 million with Janssen Biotech Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson (J&J), for the co-development and commercialization of PTG-200.
