AstraZeneca

IPGaia Inc. and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai signed an agreement on August 7, 2024, to integrate drug target leads into IPG’s drug discovery platform, aiming to develop innovative medicines and address global healthcare challenges.

Roche Holding AG remains unconcerned about side effects in a small study of its weight-loss shot CT-388, despite shares tumbling due to early release of side effect details. The company emphasizes no patients stopped treatment in the trial, and its other weight-loss candidate, CT-966, could be 'best in class.' Roche is focusing on five core therapy areas and diversifying in oncology, actively seeking partners in promising fields like antibody-drug conjugates.

Up to 16 new GLP-1 drugs could launch by 2029, capturing nearly a third of a $200B market by 2031, dominated by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Competitors like Roche, Amgen, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Boehringer, Viking Therapeutics, and Structure Therapeutics may launch rival weight-loss drugs within 3-4 years. Novo Nordisk and Lilly are expected to retain 68% of weight-loss sales, but the market may see price declines of 10%-15% by 2027 due to competition.

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's datopotamab deruxtecan showed a 2.3-month survival advantage in nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer patients, but lacked statistical significance. FDA approval by Dec. 20 is uncertain, with a potential advisory committee meeting. The drug, an antibody-drug conjugate, aims to replace chemotherapy but faces complexities in identifying responders.

Datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) showed no statistically significant overall survival improvement in phase III TROPION-Lung01 trial for advanced or metastatic NSCLC, except in non-squamous NSCLC subgroup. AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo focus on this subgroup, highlighting potential role of Dato-DXd in non-small cell lung cancer.

GSK’s depemokimab, an ultra-long-acting biologic, significantly reduced severe asthma exacerbations by 54% over one year in phase 3 trials, with a 72% reduction in hospitalisations or emergency visits. Despite non-significant improvements in quality of life, the data supports global regulatory filings.

TROPION-Lung01 trial results show datopotamab deruxtecan improves overall survival (OS) over docetaxel in nonsquamous NSCLC patients, with a mean OS improvement of 2.3 months. Developed by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca, the TROP2-directed ADC is under review for marketing authorisation in NSCLC and HER2-negative breast cancer. The NSCLC market is projected to grow to $45.4bn by 2031, with datopotamab deruxtecan estimated to generate $6bn in annual global sales by 2030.

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AstraZeneca’s QCS platform improved responses to Dato-DXd in NSCLC, particularly in nonsquamous NSCLC, reducing disease progression by 43%. QCS identified patients likely to benefit from Dato-DXd, with 66% of nonsquamous NSCLC patients being TROP2-QCS biomarker-positive. Median PFS was 6.9 months for Dato-DXd vs. 2.9 months for docetaxel in TROP2-QCS biomarker-positive patients.

AstraZeneca's London-listed shares fell 5.6% after lung cancer trial results showed its experimental drug did not significantly improve overall survival. The TROPION-Lung01 trial's overall survival rates did not reach statistical significance, according to a presentation at the World Conference on Lung Cancer.