3rd TIGIT Axis Therapies Summit
The 3rd TIGIT Axis Therapies Summit returns to unite large pharma, innovative biotechs and pioneering academics to discuss the full range of next-generation TIGIT axis targeted […]
Immuno-Oncology
Abecma hits the mark in earlier-stage multiple myeloma
Bristol-Myers Squibb is on course to move its BCMA-targeting CAR-T therapy further up the treatment pathway in multiple myeloma, after reporting that it met its […]
Sanofi looks east with €300m Innovent cancer alliance
Sanofi is making a €300 million investment in Chinese biotech Innovent as part of a collaboration to bring two new cancer therapies as quickly as […]
Keytruda fluffs its lines in prostate, liver cancer trials
Two phase 3 trials of Merck & Co’s Keytruda in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and advanced liver cancer have ended in failure, proving once […]
BMS’ plan to move Opdivo into adjuvant RCC gets knocked back
Bristol-Myers Squibb has revealed that its checkpoint inhibitor combination of Opdivo and Yervoy failed a phase 3 trial as adjuvant (post-surgery) therapy for renal cell […]
Opdualag off to a flying start, says BMS CEO
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s new immune checkpoint inhibitor combination Opdualag has only been on the US market for a few weeks, but is already off to a […]
CHMP backs J&J’s myeloma bispecific Tecvayli, ahead of US decision
The EMA’s human medicines committee has recommended approval of Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli as a fourth-line therapy for multiple myeloma, joining a growing group of […]
Bid to expand Keytruda use in head and neck cancer therapy fails
While immunotherapies have transformed treatment of many types of cancer, they do sometimes fail to have an impact – as Merck & Co has just […]
Roche rings Bicycle bell again, grabbing another cancer target
Roche’s Genentech unit has gone all in on its collaboration with UK biotech Bicycle Therapeutics, taking up an option on a second additional target in […]
FDA to decide on Roche’s lymphoma drug Lunsumio before year-end
The FDA has granted a priority review to Roche’s T-cell engager Lunsumio as a treatment for follicular lymphoma (FL), setting up a decision on the […]
AstraZeneca agrees $1.3bn deal to buy oncology player TeneoTwo
AstraZeneca has signed a deal to buy US biotech TeneoTwo in a deal worth up to $1.27 billion that will boost its position therapies for […]
Novartis eyes earlier use of PD-1 drug in oesophageal cancer
Novartis is still waiting for FDA approval of its PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor latecomer tislelizumab in relapsed oesophageal cancer, but is already planning a move the drug […]
AZ takes aim at BMS’ lead in neoadjuvant NSCLC
Just weeks after Bristol-Myers Squibb claimed an FDA green light for Opdivo as a neoadjuvant therapy for non-small cell lung cancer, AstraZeneca is looking to […]
Astellas pumps $90m into Sutro immuno-oncology alliance
Astellas has agreed a $1.36 billion partnership with US biotech Sutro Biopharma for a series of antibody-drug conjugates for cancer, focusing on applications in patients […]
Boehringer takes option on masked cytokine specialist Trutino
Boehringer Ingelheim must like what it has seen in its two-year-old R&D collaboration with Trutino Biosciences to develop cytokine therapies – it has just taken […]
Roche’s Tecentriq extends lead over Keytruda in adjuvant NSCLC
While Merck & Co’s Keytruda is the undisputed leader of the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) category, there’s one category where it lags behind Roche’s […]
EU first to clear Roche’s lymphoma bispecific mosunetuzumab
Roche has secured its first regulatory approval for mosunetuzumab, a first-in-class CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody, as a treatment for patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) in the […]
Astellas taps GO’s glycoprotein platform with $783.5m deal
Astellas has become the latest big pharma company to sink some money into immuno-oncology start-up GO Therapeutics, forging an alliance to develop antibodies targeting two […]
RhoVac pummelled as lead cancer vaccine fails study
Shares in Swedish biotech RhoVac were down 94% in mid-morning trading today after the company revealed a phase 2b trial of its prostate cancer vaccine […]
BMS’ Opdivo gets late-stage oesophageal cancer nod from FDA
The FDA has cleared two combination drug regimens based on Bristol-Myers Squibb’s PD-1 inhibitor Opdivo for previously-untreated advanced oesophageal cancer, encroaching on territory held by […]
J&J, Legend get EU nod for myeloma CAR-T Carvykti
Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech will arrive at next week’s ASCO congress with a new EU approval for multiple myeloma CAR-T Carvykti. The European […]
Bayer bails on $670m CAR-T partnership with Atara
In February, Atara Biotherapeutics paused enrolment into a trial of a CAR-T cell therapy for mesothelioma after a patient death. Now, its partner Bayer has […]
Merck snaps up cancer drug from China’s Kelun in $1.4bn deal
Merck & Co has quietly added another drug to its immuno-oncology pipeline via an agreement with China’s Sichuan Kelun Pharmaceutical, and is keeping the details […]
BMS doubles down on BridgeBio alliance on SHP2 drugs
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s flurry of dealmaking has continued with en expansion of its partnership with BridgeBio on drugs targeting SHP2, in the hope of combining them […]
Roche’s TIGIT ambitions take another blow
Roche’s anti-TIGIT antibody tiragolumab has failed a second phase 3 trial, dousing expectations for the programme and its hopes of finding a companion to its […]
Nykode vaccine shows its worth in cervical cancer trial
Adding Nykode Therapeutics’ VB10.16 vaccine to treatment with Roche’s cancer immunotherapy Tecentriq resulted in disease control in two-thirds of patients with advanced cervical cancer. The […]
AZ eyes Q3 FDA decision for Imfinzi in biliary tract cancer
The FDA has kicked off a priority review of AstraZeneca’s checkpoint inhibitor Imfinzi for biliary tract cancer (BTC), setting up what could be approval for […]
Kymriah is first CAR-T cleared for follicular lymphoma in EU
Novartis’ CAR-T Kymriah has become the first therapy in the category to be approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma, ahead of Gilead Sciences’ […]
4th Annual Cell Engager Summit | May 24-26 | Boston, MA
With TCEs being studied in both hematological and solid tumors (39 and 34 trials respectively), there are now more than one hundred projects in the preclinical […]
Gilead dives deeper into NK cell therapies with Dragonfly deal
Gilead Sciences has made another foray into the natural killer (NK) cell category, paying $300 million upfront to access Dragonfly Therapeutics’ TriNKET platform to find […]
FDA says no to two more China-developed cancer drugs
The FDA has declined to approve two more cancer therapies developed by drugmakers based in China, in what may be further evidence of a tough […]
After bempeg failure, Nektar wields the axe
Nektar has said it will cut 70% of its workforce in the wake of the comprehensive failure in trials of its immuno-oncology candidate bempegaldesleukin, which […]
Understanding the microbiome as an ‘overlooked critical organ’
Compared to a ‘critical organ’ that had been largely ignored, companies working to develop microbiome-based therapies believe there is untapped potential in the area. Ben […]
Nkarta leaps on early CAR-NK data in blood cancers
Shares in Nkarta more than doubled yesterday on the results of early-stage clinical that suggested it could be on to a winner with its natural […]
Implants could transform CAR-T therapy into one-day procedure
CAR-T therapies have revolutionised the treatment of some blood cancers, but are costly as well as time- and resource-intensive. Now, US researchers think one solution […]
AZ closes on FDA verdict on tremelimumab in liver cancer
AstraZeneca’s anti-CTLA4 antibody tremelimumab is moving closer to what once looked like an extremely unlikely regulatory approval, after a string of negative trial results. The […]
CHMP backs Roche’s lymphoma bispecific mosunetuzumab
Roche is on the brink of its first regulatory approval for what could be the first bispecific antibody targeting CD3 and CD20 – mosunetuzumab – […]
Regeneron seeks CheckMate in immuno-oncology play
Regeneron has agreed an all-cash deal to acquire CheckMate Pharmaceuticals, adding immune activator vidutolimod to its cancer immunotherapy pipeline and ending a barren spell for […]
End of the line for BMS, Nektar’s bempegaldesleukin/Opdivo alliance
Four years after Bristol-Myers Squibb paid $1.85 billion upfront to make Nektar’s bempegaldesleukin a companion drug to its cancer immunotherapy Opdivo, the alliance is being […]
AbbVie preps filings for lymphoma bispecific licensed from Genmab
Two years after signing a $3.9 billion alliance with Genmab to find new cancer therapies, AbbVie has said it is ready to start talking to […]
Gilead cleared to restart trials of CD47 drug magrolimab
Gilead Sciences can restart pivotal trials of its cancer antibody magrolimab – the centre piece of its $4.9 billion acquisition of Forty Seven in 2020 […]
AACR: Affimed builds case for natural killer cell therapy
Affimed says new data from a phase 1/2 trial of its natural killer (NK) cell engager therapy AFM13 provide further evidence of its efficacy in […]
AACR: BioNTech finds value in CAR-T/mRNA vaccine combo
Adding an mRNA vaccine to CAR-T cell therapy could be the key to unlocking activity in solid tumours, according to German biotech BioNTech. CAR-Ts have […]
Jazz adds first immuno-oncology drug via $1.3bn Werewolf deal
Jazz Pharma has bolstered its pipeline of cancer drugs through a $1.3 billion licensing agreement with Werewolf Therapeutics that adds its first immuno-oncology candidate. The […]
EMA starts review of Novartis’ latecomer PD-1 drug tislelizumab
The EU regulator has started a review of Novartis’ PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab – licensed from Chinese biotech BeiGene – for oesophageal and lung cancers, ahead of […]
Immunocore gets EU nod for TCR cancer therapy Kimmtrak
Immunocore now has approval on both side of the Atlantic for Kimmtrak – the first cancer therapeutic based on T cell receptor (TCR) technology – […]
Roche hit by failure of TIGIT drug tiragolumab in lung cancer
Roche has suffered a setback with its much-anticipated pairing of anti-TIGIT antibody tiragolumab and PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), in a […]
CHMP backs J&J’s myeloma CAR-T therapy Carvykti
Johnson & Johnson is in course for approval of its multiple myeloma CAR-T therapy Carvykti in the EU the next few weeks, after getting a […]
AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi fails in cervical cancer bid
AstraZeneca’s hopes of developing its PD-L1 inhibitor Imfinzi for cervical cancer have been hit by a failed phase 3 trial of the drug alongside chemotherapy […]
Sanofi backs precision oncology firm Nucleai in $33m fundraising
Israeli startup Nucleai has raised $33 million in a second-round financing that will be used to further its work on using artificial intelligence and spatial […]
Bayer backs KRAS TCR player Affini-T in $175m financing
Bayer’s venture capital unit has co-led a $175 million investment in Affini-T that will be used to take its T cell receptor (TCR) therapies for […]
Keytruda encroaches on Jemperli’s endometrial cancer territory
Merck & Co’s KEYNOTE-158 trial of Keytruda has underpinned another FDA approval, this time for the PD-1 inhibitor as a single-agent therapy as a therapy […]
Merck trial of Keytruda, Lynparza combo in prostate cancer fails
Merck & Co’s two powerhouse oncology drugs – Keytruda and Lynparza – have failed to show efficacy when used in combination for patients with previously […]
Sour taste for Nektar as bempegaldesleukin flunks ph3 test
Four years ago, Bristol-Myers Squibb paid $1.85 billion upfront to claim rights to Nektar’s bempegaldesleukin, setting it up to be companion drug to its cancer […]
NICE says no to Keytruda in triple-negative breast cancer
There isn’t enough evidence to support the use of Merck & Co/MSD’s Keytruda in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for advanced triple negative […]
Sanofi makes another pipeline deal, tapping Adagene for antibody tech
Sanofi’s rash of dealmaking has continued with a $2.5 billion tie-up with Chinese cancer immunotherapy biotech Adagene, focused on developing a new generation of safer […]
Unswayed by a discount pledge, FDA adcomm rejects Lilly’s PD-1 drug
FDA advisors have voted against approval of Eli Lilly and Innovent Biologics’ cancer immunotherapy sintilimab, undermining hopes of a new, lower-priced option in the PD-1/PD-L1 […]
Merck gets EU nod for Keytruda in adjuvant kidney cancer
Merck & Co has passed another milestone in its drive to move PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda earlier in the treatment pathway for cancer, with the European […]
Immunocore claims first-ever FDA approval for TCR cancer therapy
Immunocore has secured a piece of biotech industry history, becoming the first company to get an FDA approval for a cancer therapeutic based on T […]
FDA slaps hold on trials of Gilead’s CD47 drug magrolimab
The FDA has placed a partial clinical fold on clinical trials of Gilead Sciences’ magrolimab, the centre piece of its $4.9 billion acquisition of Forty […]
BMS cuts $3.15bn deal with Century for cancer cell therapies
Bristol-Myers Squibb chief executive Giovanni Caforio has promised to invest in the company’s pipeline at the virtual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, and demonstrated that commitment […]
J&J goes after another FDA approval for a cancer bispecific
Johnson & Johnson’s much-touted crop of bispecific antibodies for cancer generated its first commercial product in May, and the drugmaker has now filed for FDA […]
FDA gives Daiichi Sankyo’s HER3 drug a breakthrough tag
Daiichi Sankyo has been granted breakthrough status by the FDA for patritumab deruxtecan, a HER3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in clinical trials for lung cancer. The […]
Sanofi buys US immuno-oncology biotech Amunix for $1 billion
Sanofi has bolstered its immuno-oncology pipeline with a $1 billion agreement to acquire Amunix Pharma of the US – its fourth bolt-on deal of 2021. […]
Novartis taps immuno-oncology partner BeiGene for TIGIT drug
Novartis has joined the ranks of big pharma companies developing TIGIT-targeted drugs for cancer, and found its candidate in an existing partner, Chinese biotech BeiGene. […]
ASH: Trial backs Gilead’s Yescarta CAR-T in first-line lymphoma
Gilead Sciences has taken a big step towards positioning its CAR-T therapy Yescarta as an option for previously-untreated large B cell lymphoma (LBCL) with updated […]
ASH: Gilead, BMS CAR-Ts square off in relapsed lymphoma
A pair of trials have suggested that CAR-T therapies could offer an improved option for patients with large B cell lymphoma (LBCL) who have relapsed […]
Roche builds case for TIGIT combo in untreated lung cancer
Roche’s closely-watched combination of anti-TIGIT antibody tiragolumab and PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq has shown long-term efficacy in an ongoing trial in lung cancer, adding to the […]
Henlius claims win for PD-1 drug in small cell lung cancer
China’s Shanghai Henlius Biotech says its experimental PD-1 inhibitor serplulimab has extended survival when added to chemotherapy in a phase 3 trial as first-line therapy […]
Milestone as EMA starts review of Atara’s ‘off-the-shelf’ cell therapy
Atara Biotherapeutics’ tabelecleucel (tab-cel) has become the first ‘allogeneic’ cell therapy – in other words one which doesn’t involve harvesting cells from patients – to […]
Gilead foregoes buyout, but pledges $725m to Arcus’ cancer drugs
Gilead Sciences has forged closer ties to its cancer drug partner Arcus Biosciences , although a licensing deal doesn’t go as far as the takeover […]
Merck wins FDA nod for Keytruda as adjuvant kidney cancer treatment
Merck & Co has chalked up another win in drive to move PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda earlier in the treatment pathway for cancer, after the FDA […]
Blackstone revs up Autolus’ CAR with $250m fuel injection
Private equity firm Blackstone has agreed to provide up to $250 million in financing to UK biotech Autolus Therapeutics, to help it take acute lymphoblastic […]
First launch for Daiichi Sankyo’s oncolytic virus Delytact in Japan
Daiichi Sankyo has launched its oncolytic virus therapy Delytact in Japan – its first world market – as a treatment for malignant glioma, an aggressive […]
Gilead tags Merck for first-line triple negative breast cancer trial
Take two recently-approved immunotherapies for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), put them together, and what do you get? Hopefully a new standard of care for […]
Takeda buys GammaDelta to boost cancer cell therapy credentials
Japanese drugmaker Takeda has said it will exercise its option to buy UK-based GammaDelta Therapeutics, a specialist in ‘off-the-shelf’ cell therapies for solid tumours and […]
AZ/Daiichi partner with Merck on first-line lung cancer trial
The dominance of Merck & Co’s Keytruda in the treatment of previously-untreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) means it will be hard to dislodge – […]
AZ’s Imfinzi is first immunotherapy to raise survival in biliary tract cancer
AstraZeneca’s checkpoint inhibitor Imfinzi has become the first cancer immunotherapy to improve survival in previously-untreated patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC), a rare and aggressive […]
Merck gets EU approval for Keytruda in triple-negative breast cancer
Merck & Co has claimed EU approval for Keytruda in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a particularly hard-to-treat form of the disease. The European Commission has […]
BMS strikes back against Merck in EU oesophageal cancer market
Merck & Co’s Keytruda become the first cancer immunotherapy to be approved as a first-line oesophageal cancer treatment in the EU earlier this year, but […]
UK startup Leucid raises £11.5m for solid tumour CAR-T therapies
CAR-T therapies have revolutionised the treatment of some blood cancers, but so far haven’t been able to repeat that success in solid tumours. UK startup […]
Good news for Lilly as sintilimab hits the spot in lung cancer again
Eli Lilly made a late entry into the checkpoint inhibitor market when it licensed ex-China rights to Innovent’s sintilimab last year, and a new trial […]
Roche scores early adjuvant lung cancer approval for Tecentriq
Roche has claimed an earlier-than-expected FDA approval for its checkpoint inhibitor Tecentriq in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), giving the drug a lead in early-stage […]
Medical Wearables for Biosensors USA Conference 2021
SMi Group Proudly Presents… Medical Wearables for Biosensors USA Conference 2021 Conference: 25 – 26 October 2021 Virtual Conference: Online Access Only Website: www.biosensors-medical-wear.com/pharmaphorum Exploring […]
Scotland backs Cabometyx combo for kidney cancer, amid stalled NICE review
Patients in Scotland with newly-diagnosed advanced kidney cancer can now access a therapy combining Bristol-Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy Opdivo with Ipsen’s targeted drug Cabometyx, ahead of […]
FDA halts Allogene CAR-T trial after safety scare
A phase 1 trial of Allogene’s of-the-shelf CAR-T for lymphoma has been placed on hold by the FDA, after a “chromosomal abnormality” was seen in […]
J&J bulks up in bispecifics with $1.3bn Xencor alliance
Fresh from claiming its first bispecific antibody approval, Johnson & Johnson has delved deeper into the category with a deal to license a drug for […]
3rd Inflammasome Therapeutics Summit
Discover the Intricacies of Inflammasome Regulation, Leverage Inflammasome Proteins as Biomarkers & Accelerate Novel Inflammasome Therapeutics into Proof-Of-Concept Clinical Trials & Beyond Built with Ventus […]
Kite claims a first for CAR-T Tecartus in adult leukaemia
The FDA has approved Kite Pharma’s Tecartus as a treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), making CAR-T therapy […]
GSK bails on $4.2bn partnership with Merck on cancer drug
GlaxoSmithKline has ended its collaboration with Germany’s Merck KGaA’s cancer treatment bintrafusp alfa, after a trio of failed clinical trials. Given the disappointments the decision […]
NICE clears NHS use of Roche’s Tecentriq in bladder cancer
NICE has recommended routine NHS access to Roche’s cancer immunotherapy Tecentriq for some bladder cancer patients, four years after it was first made available via […]
Keytruda’s liver cancer approval secured by new study
Merck & Co’s FDA approval for Keytruda in advanced liver cancer looks secure, after an Asian clinical trial found that the cancer immunotherapy improved survival […]
Boehringer buys Abexxa, bolstering its immuno-oncology pipeline
Boehringer Ingelheim says it has agreed to buy US biotech Abexxa Biologics, its second acquisition in the cancer immunotherapy area in the space of a […]
ESMO21: Libtayo extends survival in first-line NSCLC, challenging Keytruda
There’s no shortage of cancer immunotherapies trying to knock Merck & Co’s Keytruda off the top of the tree in previously-untreated non-small cell lung cancer […]
Keytruda backed by NICE for late-stage oesophageal cancer
MSD’s Keytruda has become the first immunotherapy cleared by NICE for previously-untreated patients with advanced oesophageal cancer, making it an option for routine NHS treatment. […]
First FDA filing for Novartis’ latecomer PD-1 drug tislelizumab
Novartis has filed for FDA approval of tislelizumab – a PD-1 inhibitor licensed from Chinese biotech BeiGene earlier this year – as a second-line treatment […]
Roche dives further into cancer cell therapy with Adaptimmune deal
Roche has largely been a spectator on the side lines as other drugmakers have embraced cell therapies for cancer, but it has made a big […]
Targeting COVID-19 and cancer with immunotherapy advancements
Anna Biosciences’ Dr Anthony Rullo discusses the drug development company’s immunotherapy platform. Over the last 30 years, we have seen dramatic improvements in patient outcomes […]
Novartis’ bid to extend Kymriah into earlier use hits a roadblock
Novartis’ CAR-T therapy Kymriah racked up back-to-back approvals in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and large B-cell lymphoma a few years ago, but hasn’t added to its […]
Third strike for GSK/Merck as bintrafusp alfa flubs again
GlaxoSmithKline’s big gamble on Merck KGaA’s bintrafusp alfa has gone from bad to worse, after the drug failed yet another mid-stage trial. The latest disappointment […]
Pfizer vaults into CD47 arena, buying Trillium for $2.3 billion
Pfizer is the latest big pharma company to take a position on drugs that target CD47 – a ‘don’t eat me’ signal that protects cancer […]
GSK claims broader ’tissue-agnostic’ label for PD-1 drug Jemperli
The FDA has approved GlaxoSmithKline’s latecomer PD-1 inhibitor Jemperli for a second use that will significantly extend the patient population eligible for treatment with the […]
FDA starts speedy review of Keytruda for adjuvant kidney cancer
Merck & Co is looking at a decision from the FDA in December on its application to market Keytruda as a post-surgery treatment for people […]
Kite takes the ‘Appian way’ to off-the-shelf cell therapies for cancer
Gilead Sciences’ Kite Pharma has mapped out another route to the development of allogeneic or ‘off-the-shelf’ cell therapies for cancer, using technology developed by Appia […]
BMS claims first EU okay for adjuvant oesophageal cancer immunotherapy
Bristol-Myers Squibb is in a battle with Merck & Co for position in the upper gastrointestinal cancer immunotherapy market, and has just reinforced its position […]
After false start, Merck claims Keytruda approval in early breast cancer
Merck & Co’s Keytruda has just picked up its 30th approval from the FDA, and it is a good one – early-stage triple-negative breast cancer […]
BMS pulls speedy Opdivo approval for liver cancer in US
Bristol-Myers Squibb has withdrawn its US marketing approval for PD-1 inhibitor Opdivo as a second-line, single-agent treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, a common form of liver […]
Arcus’ CMO Grossman jumps ship to join Gilead’s cancer push
Gilead Sciences just forged even closer ties with its cancer drug partner Arcus Biosciences, enticing the biotech’s chief medical officer Bill Grossman to a new […]
BioNTech grows in cell therapies, buying Kite’s TCR platform
BioNTech has found a use for some of the windfall cash it has raked in from its COVID-19 vaccine, agreeing a deal to buy Kite […]
GSK cancer head Hoos exits, takes top role at biotech Scorpion
GlaxoSmithKline’s head of oncology Axel Hoos has resigned from the company, and will take up a new role as chief executive of US biotech Scorpion […]
Imugene HER2 vaccine hits target in stomach cancer trial
A peptide vaccine developed by Australia’s Imugene has reduced tumour size in around half of patients with HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer in […]
Merck pulls Keytruda’s FDA nod for third-line stomach cancer
Merck & Co will voluntarily withdraw a US marketing approval for cancer immunotherapy blockbuster Keytruda in gastric cancer, after studies intended to confirm its efficacy […]
Gilead combs Shoreline for NK cell therapies in $2.3bn alliance
Gilead Sciences’ cell therapy Kite Pharma has bulked up its position in natural killer (NK) cell therapies, pledging up to $2.3 billion for a partnership […]
GSK joins ant-TIGIT push with $625m upfront iTeos deal
GlaxoSmithKline has staked a claim to the fast-moving category of cancer therapies targeting the TIGIT immune checkpoint, agreeing a $2 billion plus licensing agreement with […]
Daiichi Sankyo claims first okay for oncolytic virus in Japan
Daiichi Sankyo has made a little bit of pharma industry history, becoming the first drugmaker to win approval in Japan for a therapy for cancer […]
J&J backs out of $1.6bn blood cancer antibody alliance with Argenx
Belgian biotech Argenx has lost its development partner for acute myeloid leukaemia antibody cusatuzumab, after Johnson & Johnson backed away from the alliance after two […]
Genmab takes aims at immuno-oncology antibody conjugates with Bolt Bio
Genmab has enlisted the help of Bolt Biotherapeutics to develop a new class of immune-boosting antibody conjugates for cancer in a deal that could be […]
FDA sets November review date for J&J’s multiple myeloma CAR-T cilta-cel
Johnson & Johnson has secured a six-month FDA review for its multiple myeloma CAR-T therapy ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), narrowing the lead for Bristol-Myers Squibb and […]
Straight after its first cancer bispecific OK, J&J highlights two more at ASCO
With the ink barely dry on the FDA’s approval of Johnson & Johnson’s Rybrevant, its first bispecific antibody for cancer, the drugmaker is already showcasing […]
NICE says no to Merck Serono’s Bavencio in bladder cancer
Merck Serono’s Bavencio is the only checkpoint inhibitor to be approved for first-line maintenance treatment of bladder cancer in Europe, but UK cost-effectiveness agency NICE […]
Janssen files its first CAR-T therapy cilta-cel in Europe
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit has filed for approval of its multiple myeloma CAR-T ciltacabtagene autoleucel in Europe, chasing after a rival therapy from Bristol-Myers […]
Keytruda should lose stomach cancer indication, says ODAC
The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) has voted to strip Merck & Co’s Keytruda of its accelerated approval in gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) […]
ODAC votes to keep bladder cancer labels for Keytruda, Tecentriq
Merck & Co’s Keytruda and Roche’s Tecentriq should stay on the market as first-line treatments for bladder cancer, at least until new clinical data becomes […]
Pieris Out-licenses PRS-342 to Boston Pharmaceuticals for ~$363M
Shots: Pieris to receive $10M upfront and is eligible to receive $353M in development, regulatory, and commercial based milestones along with royalties on sales of […]
FDA looks at pulling speedy approvals for three cancer drugs
FDA advisors will scrutinise three cancer immunotherapies granted conditional approvals at a three-day meeting this week, to see if they should stay on the market. […]
Exscientia starts trials of first AI-derived cancer immunotherapy
Exscientia was the first company to start human trials of a new drug designed using artificial intelligence (AI) last year, and now says it has […]
Cancer Research UK spinout Achilles raises $175.5m in IPO
UK biotech Achilles Therapeutics has completed its initial public offering (IPO) in the US, raising $175.5 million that will be used to take its personalised […]
BMS and PsiOxus Therapeutics Expand their 2016 Immuno-Oncology Collaboration
Shots: In the P-I SPICE study, the companies will evaluate the clinical combination of BMS’ Opdivo with PsiOxus’ NG-641 and optimize the combination IV dosing […]
Merck KGaA Exercises Third Option in its Immuno-Oncology Collaboration with F- star
Shots: F-star to receive option exercise payment and will be eligible to get milestones and royalties on net sales of therapies resulting from the collaboration […]
Sanofi, Regeneron prep filings for Libtayo in cervical cancer
Sanofi and Regeneron’s checkpoint inhibitor Libtayo has become the first immunotherapy to improve survival when used as a second-line therapy in cervical cancer, setting up […]
How digital health impacts the development and adoption of cancer immunotherapies [Sponsored]
In an interview, BrightInsight Co-founder and CEO Kal Patel, MD, offered a preview of the report, The Role of Digital Health in Immuno-oncology Therapy Development […]
Nektar lifted by Merck alliance for bempeg, new trial funding
Nektar Therapeutics is waiting on multiple data readouts for its lead drug bempegaldesleukin paired with strategic partner Bristol-Myers Squibb’s checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo, but that hasn’t […]
Onward Signs a Worldwide Exclusive License and Co-Development Agreement with Biomunex for Immuno-Oncology
Shots: Biomunex to receive up front, development, regulatory & sales milestones, equity investment along with royalties on sales of therapies Onward get the right to […]
Merck gets a leg-up for Keytruda in first-line kidney cancer
New phase 3 data have shored up the position of Merck & Co’s cancer immunotherapy Keytruda in the increasingly competitive first-line kidney cancer market. The […]
Heat Bio’s shares ignite on Opdivo combination data in NSCLC
The pairing of Heat Biologics’ lead drug HS-110 with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s blockbuster checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo has boosted survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer […]
Cash round sets up trial of InteRNA’s microRNA for cancer
Dutch biotech InteRNA Technologies has raised €18.5 million ($22 million) in second-round financing as it prepares to start clinical trials of its lead drug candidate […]
BMS finally gets FDA OK for liso-cel, sets $410k launch price
Bristol-Myers Squibb finally has FDA approval for its CAR-T therapy liso-cel, which has been cleared by the US regulator as Breyanzi for certain forms of […]
Incyte makes bid to join the checkpoint inhibitor club
Incyte has filed its PD-1 inhibitor retifanlimab with the FDA, seeking approval to treat a form of anal cancer associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) and […]
Merck, Pfizer get EU nod for Bavencio as bladder cancer maintenance
Pfizer and partner Merck KGaA now have approval on both sides of the Atlantic for their checkpoint inhibitor Bavencio as a first-line maintenance therapy for […]
Lilly bolts on cancer bispecifics with $1.6bn Merus alliance
Always a big player in oncology, Eli Lilly has fallen behind some of its rivals when it comes to cancer immunotherapy, but a new R&D […]
Oxford BioTherapeutics to research cell therapies for Gilead’s Kite
Gilead Sciences’ Kite unit has teamed up with the UK’s Oxford BioTherapeutics (OBT) to develop a new clutch of cell therapy products for solid tumours […]
Roche nabs breakthrough tag for TIGIT cancer immunotherapy
Roche’s closely-watched combination of two checkpoint inhibitors – TIGIT-targeting tiragolumab and PD-L1 drug Tecentriq – has claimed breakthrough status from the FDA. Like PD-L1, TIGIT […]
Chasing BMS, J&J files BCMA CAR-T for multiple myeloma to FDA
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit has filed a rolling submission for its multiple myeloma CAR-T ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) to the FDA, in hot pursuit of […]
Merck cuts $1bn deal with Janux for cancer T-cell therapies
In a deal that could top $1 billion, Merck & Co has teamed up with US biotech Janux Therapeutics to bring T-cell immunotherapies to cancer […]
Catamaran joins the CAR-NK fleet, raising $42m in first round
Catamaran Bio has weighed anchor with a $42 million first-round financing that will be used to pull its off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell therapies for […]
TGFB for Immuno-Oncology Drug Development Summit
Are you interested in finding the next breakthrough in immuno-oncology preclinical or clinical development? Recent scientific, clinical breakthroughs and high-profile industry deals have reignited the […]
Five Prime eyes financing after positive results with stomach cancer drug
Shares in US biotech Five Prime Therapeutics more than tripled after it reported promising trial results with stomach cancer drug candidate bemarituzumab, returning the stock […]
Genprex cancer gene therapy paired with AZ, Merck lung cancer drugs
An experimental gene therapy developed by Texas biotech Genprex will be paired with AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso and Merck & Co’s Keytruda – both leading their respective […]
FDA sets Feb decision date for Libtayo lung cancer challenge to Keytruda
The FDA has started a priority review of Regeneron and Sanofi’s checkpoint inhibitor Libtayo in first-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on data they […]
NICE changes stance on Keytruda for first-line head and neck cancer
As recently as June, NICE was minded not to back routine NHS of MSD’s Keytruda as a first-line treatment for advanced head and neck cancer, […]
David Hung’s Nuvation Bio seals merger with blank cheque firm Panacea
Two years after quietly forming cancer start-up Nuvation Bio, ex-Axovant and Medivation CEO David Hung has agreed a big merger that will take it public […]
FDA kicks off review of second kidney cancer combo based on BMS’ Opdivo
Bristol-Myers Squibb could be mere months away from claiming a second US approval for an Opdivo-based combination immunotherapy that will help defend its first-line kidney […]
BMS swoops on Forbius, snaring another immuno-oncology player
With the ink barely dry on a deal to develop Dragonfly’s lead cancer immunotherapy, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s business development team has agreed to buy Canadian biotech […]
Blow for Novartis as PD-1 drug spartalizumab flunks trial
Novartis’ hopes of catching up with other companies in immuno-oncology have been dented after PD-1 inhibitor spartalizumab failed a phase 3 trial in skin cancer. […]
Latecomer Lilly throws cash at Innovent PD-1 partnership
Eli Lilly has doubled down on its partnership with Chia’s Innovent with a licensing deal for ex-China rights to Tyvyt, their PD-1 inhibitor, which some […]
BMS’ Opdivo aces trial in asbestos-linked lung cancer
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo has improved survival in a trial involving patients with mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer, getting one up over rival checkpoint inhibitor […]
Roche’s Tecentriq flunks triple-negative breast cancer trial
Roche’s hopes of extending the use of its PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have been dashed by a late-stage trial failure looking […]
Regeneron pairs with BioNTech on melanoma immunotherapy
Regeneron and Sanofi’s PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo will be tested in tandem with a cancer vaccine developed by BioNTech in melanoma in people who have failed […]
Roche’s Tecentriq claims melanoma OK, but don’t expect a sales surge
Roche’s checkpoint inhibitor Tecentriq has been cleared for another new use in the US – in melanoma – but could struggle to displace rival drugs […]
Gilead’s Kite gains some height after second CAR-T approval in US
Gilead’s $11.9 billion purchase of Kite Pharma in 2017 didn’t follow the script, with two big write-downs in the value of the asset since then, […]
Gilead eyes takeover of cancer biotech Tizona, despite its ties to AbbVie
Gilead Sciences’ run of oncology-focused deals has continued with an option to buy cancer immunotherapy specialist Tizona – even though the biotech’s lead drug candidate […]
Merck KGaA Takes an Early Option in its Existing Immuno-Oncology Collaboration with F-star
Shots: F-star to receive option exercise payment and will be eligible to get milestones and royalties on net sales of therapies resulting from the collaboration. […]
GenScript Signs an Agreement with Selecxine to Develop Therapies for Immuno-Oncology
Shots: GenScript will be responsible for all pre-clinical pharmacy research and IND filling in Selecxine’s project which is based on cytokine-antibody complexes The company provided […]
