BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB

Sutro Biopharma, in collaboration with Merck, dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 study for a novel cytokine derivative therapeutic targeting cancer, triggering a $10 million payment to Sutro. This milestone highlights the synergy between Merck's immuno-oncology expertise and Sutro's biologics engineering capabilities.

ABL Bio's CEO highlights the company's growth since a $1.06B deal with Sanofi for ABL301, a Parkinson's treatment. ABL Bio now attracts global interest, plans clinical trials for ABL301, ABL101, ABL103, and seeks more licensing deals. The CEO emphasizes the importance of strategic growth and maturity in Korea's biopharmaceutical industry.

ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease, has seen limited treatment options despite its discovery over a century ago. Recent scientific advancements offer hope, with new drugs like AMX0035 showing modest benefits in slowing disease progression and extending survival. However, challenges remain in understanding ALS's biology and developing effective treatments, especially for sporadic cases without known causes. The field is witnessing increased investment and research, aiming for breakthroughs that could significantly improve patients' lives.

Evotec and Exscientia used AI to develop an anticancer molecule in 8 months, a process traditionally taking 4-5 years. Exscientia's AI platform accelerates drug discovery, leading to partnerships and significant funding. AI's role in drug discovery is expanding, with companies like Recursion and BenevolentAI leveraging AI for innovative treatments and collaborations with pharma giants.

The FDA approved Johnson & Johnson's Rybrevant, a bispecific antibody for treating a specific mutation in non-small cell lung cancer. Bispecific antibodies, targeting two proteins simultaneously, are emerging as a promising treatment for various cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma, with several drugs in advanced clinical trials.

CAR T-cell therapy, specifically idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma), was FDA-approved for multiple myeloma patients unresponsive to prior treatments. In a study, 72% of participants saw tumor reduction, with remissions lasting a median of 11 months. Despite its effectiveness, the therapy can cause severe side effects and is costly, priced at $419,500 per infusion.

Nivolumab demonstrated a significant survival benefit over docetaxel in advanced NSCLC, with 5-year OS rates of 13.4% vs 2.6% and PFS rates of 8.0% vs 0%. It maintained a favorable safety profile, with no new safety signals identified, offering durable responses and long-term survival benefits.

Biologic therapeutics, the future of medicine, promise to revolutionize disease treatment by targeting multiple sites with biologics or their combination with small molecules. Despite their potential, challenges in stability, delivery, and manufacturing persist. Advances in co-formulation strategies are crucial for their clinical application, offering enhanced therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance.

Christopher Ma, Brian Feagan, Vipul Jairath, Reena Khanna, Parambir S. Dulai, and William J Sandborn disclose various financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies and research organizations, including grants, personal fees, and other forms of compensation, outside their submitted work. Robert Battat and Parambir S. Dulai report no conflict of interest.

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a leading cause of hospital infections in the U.S., especially affecting the elderly, with significant health care costs. Treatment options include antibiotics like metronidazole and vancomycin, with monoclonal antibodies like bezlotoxumab showing promise in reducing recurrence. FDA approved bezlotoxumab in 2016 to lower CDI recurrence in adults.