17
Apr
2018
Tag: oncology
6
Mar
2018
Bionest
Setting (Financial) Records in I/O
On February 14, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Nektar announced the largest-ever deal in history involving a single development-stage drug in a partnership that greatly expands combination testing of BMS’s checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab) and Nektar’s T-cell stimulating molecule NKTR-214. Many recent immuno-oncology collaborations have involved cost sharing but no other financial transactions, and the...
5
Feb
2018
Bionest
Lynparza — Extending Cancer Treatment Based on Underlying Genetic Cause
On January 12, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Lynparza (olaparib), the PARP inhibitor partnered by AstraZeneca and Merck, for the treatment of BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative advanced metastatic breast cancer. The FDA’s action adds another cancer type for Lynparza; in late 2014 it was the first PARP inhibitor to be approved for use in...
5
Jan
2018
Bionest
Welcome to 2018! What we are watching for JPM18 and the coming year…
Now that the holidays have wound down, we look forward to catching up with many of you in person as the Bionest team and many others from across the healthcare business world descend on San Francisco next week for the three-ring circus of conferences, one-on-one meetings and social gatherings that is JPM18. Here are some...
12
Oct
2017
Bionest
ESMO 2017 — Recent Developments in the Oncology Arena — Part One
We recently returned from the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 meeting, which is the major meeting for oncology professionals in Europe, attracting over 24,000 participants from 131 countries. This fall meeting saw a lot of news, notably in the areas of lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma as well as immuno-oncology generally, including...
27
Sep
2017
Bionest
New Big Data Initiatives in Oncology
As cancer therapy moves towards the concept of “real-time” oncology — the ability to constantly monitor changes in a patient’s disease and adjust treatment accordingly — we see big data and high powered analytical approaches increasingly playing a key role. The aim of such efforts will be to find novel biomarkers and a new understanding...
16
Aug
2017
Bionest
Recent Developments in IO – Our Take on a Couple of Key Events
On July 27, AstraZeneca (AZ) disappointed their investors and many immuno-oncology watchers with the results of their MYSTIC trial combining two immunotherapies targeting PD-L1 (durvalumab/Imfinzi) and CTLA-4 (tremelimumab) in newly diagnosed Stage-IV lung cancer patients. The AZ combination therapy failed to show a benefit compared to chemotherapy in a primary endpoint of “Progression-free Survival (PFS).”...
26
Jul
2017
Bionest
CAR-T Nears the Marketplace, with Unanimous Approval Recommendation – but Challenges Remain
On July 12, Novartis’ CAR-T therapy, CTL019 (tisagenlecleucel), received a unanimous recommendation for approval from the reviewing U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s advisory panel for use in the treatment of children and young adults with advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The FDA is now expected to make its final decision by October 3. CTL019...
17
Jul
2017
Bionest
Gene Therapy: Coming of Age Perhaps, but Who Will Pay?
New technologies tend to go through cycles of interest and attention. Initial excitement about the potential of a technological advance too often builds to over-blown hype, followed by a quick reversal of interest in the aftermath of a big disappointment. But if continued research later produces truly encouraging results, interest can build again as time...
12
Jul
2017