ESMO Annual Congress Coverage

The US FDA cleared Roche’s supplemental approval request for ALK inhibitor Alecensa in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer following tumor resection.

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

The biopharma industry’s fate lies largely in its R&D successes and failures. Here, Scrip looks at five clinical trial successes that will shape their sponsors’ futures and got readers clicking in 2023.

In a record licensing deal involving a single biopharma asset from China, Biokin and its US subsidiary SystImmune will receive up to $8.4bn from BMS, including $800m upfront, for a bispecific ADC with broad oncology potential. 

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

Scrip caught up with Olema CEO Sean Bohen ahead of a crucial combination data readout due this month for its novel SERD, palazestrant, which it hopes will put the drug on the path to a $10bn-plus breast cancer market.

SpringWorks’ gamma secretase inhibitor will be available soon for adults at any stage of treatment for desmoid tumors with a list price of $29,000 for a 30-day supply. 

The UK big pharma gets a first-in-class approval in breast cancer, but a challenger is emerging.

There may be a trend towards spinning off business units but Merck continues to sees its three-pillar structure as providing the best protection from downturns in any individual segment.

Public Company Edition: Lexeo raised $100m to advance its genetic medicines. Also, Blue Owl Capital acquired funds managed by Cowen Healthcare Investments, gaining about $1bn in life science assets, BMS priced $4.5bn in notes to fund its Mirati purchase and Viridian raised $185m in a private placement.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks and Seagen CEO David Epstein discussed pressing issues facing the pharmaceutical industry at the recent Galien Forum.

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

Topics in this latest Chinese-language podcast include the China Center for Drug Evaluation's annual IND and NDA report, highlights of Chinese companies' data readouts at ESMO, and policy signals from the International Biopharma Industry Week Shanghai.

In this week's podcast edition of Five Must-Know Things: did Pfizer miss out on Roivant/Roche deal?; Padcev/Keytruda combo impresses in bladder cancer at ESMO; biggest upfront ever in Daiichi/Merck deal; Rybrevant at ESMO; and subcu Leqembi could open up access.

Revolution Medicines is aiming to go beyond Amgen and Mirati’s first-generation drugs with a multi-RAS targeting therapy - and despite a market sell-off after ESMO, analysts think the company think it is still on track.

Keytruda brought in its usual stacks of cash, but Merck’s Q3 earnings call focused largely on a recent alliance with Daiichi Sankyo and the pharma’s growing emphasis on cancer ADCs.