Biotech Strategy Blog

Commentary on Science, Innovation & New Products with a focus on Oncology, Hematology & Immunotherapy

Posts tagged ‘Arcus Biosciences’

Arcus takes aim at belzutifan in the HIF-2α arena

Once we have a new standard of care agent in a class the question is always how long can they hold it for?

Oncology R&D is a dynamic beast to watch – very little stands still or survives the test of time.

Once we have a new King anointed at the top of a mountain in a particular class of agents then there’s always a posse of others following in the wings to knock them off their perch.

If you’re not first-in-class to a given market then the race becomes very much one of who has the best-in-class potential and how long the mould-breaker will have on their perch.

We are currently watching to see who has the potential to become a best-in-class HIF-2α inhibitor beyond Merck’s belzutifan (Welireg) – or will they turn out to be similar and the first past the post reigns supreme?

The real test is never the initial preclinical or clinical data that comes out, but rather if any pretender to the throne continues to demonstrate favourable safety, higher selectivity, and durable activity in the form of improved survival over time.  After all, drug development is a marathon, not a sprint.

For later stage entrants such as Arcus’s casdatifan, the opportunity lies in differentiating themselves through improved outcomes and optimised combination strategies. As data mature, clearer insights into the overall survival and quality of life benefits will emerge, solidifying their role in the evolving RCC treatment paradigm.

Ironically we saw this same battle with the VEGF inhibitors in the same disease a decade ago.  Now it’s the turn of the HIF-2α inhibitors to follow the well-trodden path – there’s a lot to think about with new data coming out…

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Stacking up the evidence

Sake drums, Takayama

If you are in Pharma business development and licensing (BD&L) then one of the things you may be looking for is opportunity gaps in the market. This means you can either license in new drugs in or partner with other companies to generate optimal combination opportunities for drugs in your pipeline. It’s becoming a real challenge, however, given few companies have all the products they need in their own portfolio.

The risk of signing an expensive deal that doesn’t pan out in the long term, even if heavily milestone orientated, is always there.

Here we highlight an under-rated cancer niche where there is a clear gap in the market.

It discusses how several companies are looking to tackle what could be a commercial opportunity. Will some of the one/two knockout punches proposed stack up when we see the data, or will the companies end up drinking sake to down their sorrows if it doesn’t work out?

This post also analyses some of the recent company news and data then looks at how we see the landscape as it currently stands, and where the future opportunities may lie.

In today’s world where the cost of capital is high – who can’t forget the concept of weighted average cost of capital (WACC) from their MBA case studies – emerging biotech companies can’t afford to make expensive mistakes.

Not only do you need to be science driven, but you have to be commercially aware in how you focus your oncology new products and BD&L activity…

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Setting the scene

Can TIGIT stand out from the crowd in gastric cancer?

We have seen all sorts of molecules come along in gastric-esophageal carcinomas, from antibodies, ADCs, bispecifics, small molecules, even CAR-T cell therapies.  Some have been more successful than others.

As the competition heats up even in the expanding number of subniches, it’s going to take some stellar data to stand out from the crowd.

We’ve already seen several miss such as Beigene’s much touted Fc-competent anti-TIGIT antibody ociperlimab in the second line setting at ESMO23 last month, while pembrolizumab continued its onward march at the ESMO Plenary back in February.

Now we have three more earlier stage agents to look at across different modalities such as Akeso’s PD1xCTLA4 bispecific cadonilimab, Keymed/AstraZeneca’s Claudin 18.2 ADC CMG901 and Arcus/Gilead’s anti-TIGIT antibody, domvanalimab.

In our latest review, we take a look at how these agents are doing…

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Making sense of all the TIGIT data at ASCO23

Graffiti in Adams Morgan, Chicago

Continuing our coverage of the annual meeting of ASCO in Chicago I felt compelled to review the actual data presented at the meeting.

Regardless of whether you are bullish or bearish about the target – or even specific agents in the niche – there are some important subtleties and nuances to be aware of and take into consideration.

Here we offer a detailed look at key issues to think about in the broader context of new product development and early stage clinical trials…

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Putting some colour on the TIGIT niche

Time for some additional colour commentary!

There has been some incredibly intense interest surrounding TIGIT as a new therapeutic target in oncology of late, to the point where some observers have been wildly claiming this is the new universal checkpoint everyone has been waiting for.

But is it?

It’s early days yet with little data presented from people with cancer, so at this point it could well be a bit of a stretch to find another anti-PD–1/PD-L1 equivalent, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t utility in seeing clinical activity in some tumour types, far from it.

In our latest post, we take a look at what’s coming up in the TIGIT niche, along with an interview from a company active in this niche.

What do the company have to say and how do they see this panning out?

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New directions in adenosine axis targeting

Making waves with new directions – there are many possible ways to go when considering targeting the adenosine axis

As we segue between our AACR and ASCO coverage, one topic that straddles both virtual meetings is targeting the adenosine axis.  At AACR19, this pathway was very much front and square with some intriguing and controversial data presented, which caught many people by surprise.

Since then, several companies have opened new trials, others are completing enrollment and waiting for their data to readout before deciding upon next steps.

It’s a good time to take a look at what’s new in this niche and also see things differently through the lens of one company involved in the field.  Yes, it’s time to share our latest expert interview from not one, but two, c-suite executives.

What are their perspectives (they are different), where do they see the field going and why?

In part one of the discussion we focus exclusively on adenosine targeting and how they see themselves differentiated from the crowd… it certainly makes for interesting reading!

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