Gilead and Arcus believe their ‘Fc silent’ TIGIT inhibitor candidate could be best in class, but analysts think only outstanding results in lung cancer will sway investor sentiment.

The company has eight lung cancer trials running and plans for nine by the end of the year, including five with Trodelvy alone. Gilead is also looking ahead to an FDA verdict on lenacapavir.

The small-cap biotech is not currently favored by investors but CEO Anat Cohen-Dayag tells Scrip she believes Compugen could have the optimal TIGIT strategy.

Analysts are keen to know more about the statistical weighting of Roche’s SKYSCRAPER 1 study of the TIGIT inhibitor, while Merck & Co can learn from their rival’s slip-up for their own trial design.