Oncolytics Biotech Inc ONCY

ASCO 2024-Pharma steers clear from radiolignd & cell therapy

[Noteable]

“We've intentionally avoided more niche areas of therapeutic modality for now, such as cellular therapies or radioligands,” Megan O'Meara, M.D., Pfizer’s senior vice president and head of early development for oncology, said.  

“Let me put it this way: We’re not actively pursuing radioligands or autologous cell therapy,” Takeda’s Bitetti said in a separate interview. “But I would never say ‘no.’”

Astellas CMO Tadaaki Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D., cited both cost and complications, such as short half-lives and complex chemistry, manufacturing and controls  protocols, as reasons not to pursue radioligands. 

“For us, we’re seeking more the ADC, hybrid approach, or thinking about bispecifics and target-based drug discovery,” Taniguchi said.  

For Merck, combining new assets with already approved meds is an important strategy used to engineer new paradigms, according to Eliav Barr, M.D., Merck & Co.’s senior vice president, head of global clinical development and chief medical officer. 

“Cancer is an extraordinarily heterogeneous disease,” Barr said. “We need to be humbled to understand that we can't have a one-size-fits-all approach, or we can but there'll be some patients who don't respond.” 

For Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ global head of R&D Rob Iannone, M.D., change happens in small doses. The Jazz leader believes that smartly pairing novel drugs with other mechanisms and drugs can contribute to incremental, but important, progress. 

“A lot of our portfolio is around drugs that are combined,” Iannone said, citing chemotherapy and immunotherapy combinations.

[canadafan]

Clearly all of that dialog bodes well for ONC, Pelareorep. on wait & see mode.  While that article refers to Merck, no doubt Roche would be along the same line of thought. Back, not too many years ago: The treatment regimen was Radiation to shrink tumours, various chemo & a plethora of pain meds. Now, much of the old, standard of care still is inplace. The additions of