Although CAR T-cell therapy has been highly effective in hematological cancers, its activity in solid tumors is still constrained by inhibitory checkpoints such as PD-1, LAG-3 and TIM-3, together with the lack of locally available cytokines such as IL-2 needed to sustain T-cell function. Anwita Biosciences Inc. and collaborators aimed to overcome these challenges by developing a strategy integrating an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) with a T-cell stimulatory cytokine.
Innovent Biologics Inc.’s efdamrofusp alfa (IBI-302) met the primary endpoint in the phase III Star trial in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), and the Suzhou, China-based company will submit an NDA to China’s National Medical Products Administration.
Repeated promotional claims Patrick Soon-Shiong made about Immunitybio Inc.’s Anktiva – such as “We have now discovered and developed this drug … approved for bladder cancer, but it actually can treat all cancers” – landed the Culver City, Calif., company a strongly worded warning letter from the U.S. FDA.