Biotech Strategy Blog

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

Posts tagged ‘tremelimumab’

A novel molecule may lead to the Secret Garden

One of the joys of oncology research is that it’s data driven, which means companies can quite clearly see how others have fared, and where the gaps and opportunities lie for new product development.

There is always the potential to unlock the gates to the “secret garden,” whether it be targeting a tumour type previously considered intractable, treating an unmet medical need where there are few or no effective therapies, or in the case of immuno-oncology, manipulating the tumour microenvironment in a way that leads to an improvement in the long tail of survival we’re all looking for.

In addition to improved outcomes, you also need a safety profile with a favourable benefit/risk ratio, where there aren’t intolerable or life changing side effects or an increased risk of death. Who said it was easy?

Innovation takes many forms, and in this post we’re looking at how one biotech company may have unlocked the key to a secret garden through the optimised design of their molecule.  As always, it’s early days although it’s good to see companies looking to solve hard problems because the easy low hanging fruit wins in immuno-oncology went a long time ago.

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

New controversies in GI malignancies

Gastronomic delicacies in Paris

In our second ESMO 2022 Preview we take a look at some of the key trials being presented in gastrointestinal cancers and highlight what to watch out for on this front.

While a few readers will no doubt be keen to skip to the KRAS section to learn more about sotorasib and adagrasib in colorectal cancer, make no mistake there’s plenty going on in new product development in several other GI cancers too, both with targeted therapies as well as immunotherapies.

Curious to learn more?

To continue reading our latest discussion on oncology new product development plus commentary and analysis BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

ASCO22 Highlights from Day 1

Graffiti in Adams Morgan, Chicago

After weeks of waiting ASCO has finally arrived!

There are a surprising number of intriguing presentations at this meeting for those prepared to hunt off the radar, with some interesting implications to be considered in a broader context.

There were several to be found even on the very first day of action – they don’t all have to be massive phase 3 studies to make an impact.

Here we look at some of the highlights we heard about in between doing expert interviews for colour commentary and context.  One such example is included here where it turned out there were some strategic commercial considerations involved as well…

To continue reading our latest discussion on oncology new product development plus commentary and analysis BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Important changes to watch out for in the GI cancer landscape

It’s that time of year when the ASCO GI and GU Symposiums come around, with GI up on deck first.

End of a rocky road for some GI cancers

Finally, after what seems like positive trials being few and far between we have a veritable raft of them to highlight, mostly for good reasons instead of bemoaning yet another negative phase 3 study – exciting times!

There’s also some up and coming agents in earlier development to watch out for, as well as the potential for additional indications for established drugs already approved by Health Authorities – what’s not to like?

In our latest conference Preview, we highlight some important trials and discuss them in the context of what’s gone before them to evaluate whether they will make an impact – or not…

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis from the ASCO GI symposium – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Standing out from the crowd in lung cancer

What’s standing out from the crowd in lung cancer?

It seems hard to imagine only a few years ago lung cancer was still in the doldrums with various chemotherapy doublet and triplet regimens showing little or no benefit for people with small cell (SCLC) or non-small cell (NSCLC) lung cancer.

Fast forward and my, how things have changed today with a raft of targeted and immunotherapies making a real difference to many people’s lives!

In our latest discussion highligting important trial readouts and published data, we also offer some potential new developments which might be useful down the road…

BSB subscribers can read more on our latest update and commentary regarding lung cancer – you can log-in or click to access our latest analysis.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Highlights of Super Saturday at ESMO20

Not in Madrid: Unlike the Tour de France, which finishes with the peloton procession in Paris today, we’re not yet at the ESMO20 finish line and there’s plenty of the data at Congress yet to come.

Macarons anyone?

As you can see, we’re hoping ESMO21 will actually take place in Paris next year, but it’s definitely too early to make travel plans the way COVID-19 infection rates are increasing in Europe.

If we think of cancer drugs as like macarons that come in many versions – which ones do you like at #ESMO20 so far? There are are also subtle gradations in colour and flavour, reflective of a few trial differences to consider.

In this latest post we’re continuing our coverage of highlights from Saturday at ESMO20 with the second part of our commentary and analysis around some of the oral presentations involving numerous solid tumours, excluding breast cancer (see separate highlights of the day post), which caught our attention.

To learn more from our oncology analysis and obtain insights and commentary around data being presented at ESMO20, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

New developments in immunotherapy from WCLC19

A rare dry spell in Barcelona as the clouds roll in bringing yet more rain

Barcelona – While the weather for the World Congress on Lung Cancer (WCLC) has been largely gloomy with plenty of rainy spells, there’s much good news to report on the clinical front.

After yesterday’s review of the Amgen KRAS inhibitor data in G12C mutation positive patients receiving AMG 510, it’s now time to turn our attention to immunotherapy developments with several important trial readouts and in-depth analyses to discuss.

We will be posting a separate summary of the key highlights on targeted therapy, but first let’s consider what we learned on the immunotherapy front, including some of the science behind it all…

To learn more from our latest oncology conference insights and get a heads up on the details, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Highlights of Day 1 of ASCO19

The 2019 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Twitter #ASCO19) is now in full swing, and we’re kicking off our on-site meeting coverage with a review of the some of the highlights of Friday here in Chicago.

In today’s Daily Highlights we offer seven areas of interest and offer commentary on the insights gleaned from the data that is rolling out so far…

To learn more from our latest conference coverage and oncology insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Learning from failure with IO combos

AstraZeneca miss on OS in the phase 3 MYSTIC trial – what next?

Getting there… in 1L NSCLC

At one point we were posting almost quarterly updates on the runners and riders in the 1L NSCLC niche and what a roller coaster it has turned out to be!

There have been some successes, failures, and even mixed results so far, suggesting that there’s no room for complacency here.

Previously, AstraZeneca were the first to readout out on PFS in the MYSTIC trial and missed, meaning they had to go to the back of the queue and patiently await the OS data. Since then, we’ve seen several phase 3 trials from Merck, Genentech/Roche and BMS all readout without any real rhyme, reason or consistency between them.

Now AstraZeneca are back in the spotlight with a not altogether unexpected miss on median OS.

It’s easy for people to kick a dog when it’s down rather than take a moment to reflect on the deeper meaning – what does the result mean both for the company and other key players in this highly competitive landscape? What can we learn from this experience and other recent results?

To answer that, we put some insights and analysis together in our latest update on the space…

To learn more about our latest insights, subscribers can log-in or you can purchase access to BSB Premium Content…

This content is restricted to subscribers

The PD-1 Gorilla is Back!

At AACR last week we had the long awaited initial readouts for three key phase 3 studies in lung cancer, namely CheckMate–227, IMpower150, and KEYNOTE–189 in the same session on the same day.

This had me thinking about how it might end up being, “a killer and a chiller and a thriller when I get the (PD–1) gorilla in Manila,” with sincere apologies to Muhammed Ali and Dr Jean-Charles Soria for (mis)appropriating their past themes 😉

Chicago River Bridge at #AACR18

For those attending the event, you might well be forgiven for thinking from the first two adjectives that I’m referring to the weather, as it was certainly cold enough (!), or even the results this week from AstraZeneca’s unfortunately named ARCTIC study exploring the IO-IO combo of durvalumab plus tremelimumab in the third line setting with a miss in both PFS and OS endpoints.

In reality, we should be warmed and heartened to see three positive immunotheraopy trials appear at once and presented in the same session at the same meeting.  It isn’t always the case as regular attendees at ASCO well know.

When all is said and done, what do thought leaders specialising in lung cancer really think about the data that was presented in Chicago, and what were the convergence and discord on the various key issues under consideration?  There is, after all, a lot of subtlety and nuance to consider in 1L NSCLC.

To find out more, we interviewed not one, but four, lung cancer specialists in Chicago for their personal perspectives.  What they had to say as a group was both candid and absolutely fascinating, so it made sense to curate their insights around various key topics together into one detailed post for easy reading… 

To learn more and get a heads up on our latest thought leader interviews and oncology insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

error: Content is protected !!