Miami-headquartered Summit Therapeutics Inc. expanded rights to Akeso Inc.’s non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) drug, ivonescimab (SMT-112; AK-112), June 3 while raising $200 million to advance the therapy.
Although details are scant, Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc. reported that its PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, ivonescimab (AK-112), demonstrated statistically significant superiority as a first-line therapy for PD-L1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to Merck and Co. Inc.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab).
The EMA has been sent back to the drawing board to re-evaluate PTC Therapeutics Inc.’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapy Translarna (ataluren), after failing to get the usual rubber stamp following its recommendation in January that the drug’s conditional approval be withdrawn.
It is known that an abnormal activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is involved in tumor formation and progression, where MEK1 and MEK2 are the key proteins involved in this pathway. At the ongoing ASCO meeting in Chicago, Pasithea Therapeutics Corp. presented data on PAS-004, a macrocyclic MEK inhibitor for the potential treatment of cancer.
Although details are scant, Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc. reported that its PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, ivonescimab (AK-112), demonstrated statistically significant superiority as a first-line therapy for PD-L1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to Merck and Co. Inc.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab).
Almac Discovery Ltd. has nominated a new preclinical candidate molecule, ALM-401, a first-in-class bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting EGFR/ROR1. It is being developed for the treatment of refractory lung cancer characterized by dual expression of ROR1 and EGFR.
Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that represents around 40% of all lung tumors. Despite therapeutic advancements, LUAD remains a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Previous research found that ferredoxin-1 (FDX1) dysregulation plays a role in LUAD progression. FDX1 is a crucial regulator of copper homeostasis and cuproptosis, a regulated form of cell death triggered by excessive copper levels.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) begins its 2024 annual meeting at the cavernous and labyrinthine McCormick Place convention center in Chicago Friday, May 31. It’s one of the world’s largest cancer research conferences and can be daunting to follow. More than 400 organizations will participate this year, with about 200 sessions ready to convene. The vast majority of the 5,000 abstracts that cover all aspects of cancer treatment have already been released, and they will be scrutinized by the more than 40,000 attendees from around the world.
Oncohost Ltd. provided new details on a novel application for its proteomic pattern analysis technology at Biomed Israel last week. While its initial development focused on using a single blood sample to guide selection of first-line immunotherapy for cancer based on likelihood of response, the Prophet platform now also predicts severe adverse immune-related events, Oncohost CEO Ofer Sharon told BioWorld.
