Oncolytics Biotech Inc T.ONC

Phase 2 Merus founded in 2003 trades at US$58

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May 24, 2024 - Slim slice of efficacy data, which Merus presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology, comes from just 10 evaluable patients from a phase 2 trialm but the dual American and Dutch biotech has still been able to demonstrate a 60% response rate. Mercus trades up +13.93% at US$58.00

The study is assessing petosemtamab, a bispecific antibody for EGFR x LGR5 cancers, in combination with Keytruda as a first-line treatment for recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. 

When assessing all 26 patients who received the petosemtamab-Keytruda regimen, Merus said “no significant overlapping toxicities were observed.” While treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in all patients, “most” were grade 1 or 2 in severity.

The biotech has already been laying out plans to kick off a phase 3 trial of the antibody in second-line head and neck cancer this year. A colorectal cancer study is also penciled in for this year.

Yesterday’s sneak peek at the petosemtamab data has so far received a warmer response than a similar cancer conference readout at the end of last year. For the European Society for Medical Oncology's Asia Congress 2023, Merus' shares dipped after an interim update for a bispecific therapy called MCLA-129 revealed three deaths in the lung cancer portion of an ongoing trial.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/asco-early-peak-merus-bispecific-cancer-data-lives-investors-expectations

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May 24, 2024 - Regeneron’s costimulatory bispecific antibody REGN7075 misses the mark in patients with advanced solid tumors in the split-phase trial,  involving microsatellite stable colorectal cancer (MSS CRC), a form of cancer that has historically been unresponsive to immunotherapy.  “The presence of liver metastases is increasingly being recognized as a sign of a

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For Merus a confirmed 50% ORR in petosemtamab’s Keytruda combo trial met analysts’ base case expectations, but this was always going to be about the one additional unconfirmed response in the 10 patients evaluated, which would have taken the ORR to 60%., according to one biotech analyst.Truist Securities analysts wrote: “Given how early it is at the data cutoff we think it is likely that this

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For its part Phase 2 Immunocore offered up a disappointing update concerning its anti-PRAME soluble T-cell receptor IMC-F106C, now known as brenetafusp, focusing on 31 post-checkpoint cutaneous melanoma patients. IMCR is trading at US$44.72 per share.