{"id":604614,"date":"2024-06-03T09:16:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T13:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/can-astrazeneca-make-good-on-its-promise\/"},"modified":"2024-06-03T09:46:40","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T13:46:40","slug":"can-astrazeneca-make-good-on-its-promise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/can-astrazeneca-make-good-on-its-promise\/","title":{"rendered":"Can AstraZeneca make good on its promise?","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/can-astrazeneca-make-good-on-its-promise.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p><em>Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today?&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/signup\/readout\/\">Sign up<\/a>&nbsp;to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Good morning! It\u2019s an ASCO-full newsletter today (and be sure to peruse the More Reads for more reads) but there\u2019s so much more this week. We\u2019re previewing tomorrow\u2019s advisory committee on the closely watched MDMA therapy from Lykos Therapeutics, and both Jonathan Wosen and I will be at BIO! Hope to see you there.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-in-article dfp-ad-midbreaker-wrap\">\n<p class=\"ad-label\">advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The need-to-know this morning<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Agios Pharmaceuticals<\/strong>&nbsp;said its drug called mitapivat&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/03\/agios-blood-transfusions-beta-thalassemia-mitapivat\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">reduced the need for blood transfusions<\/a>&nbsp;in patients with a severe form of beta-thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder. The results achieved the primary goal of a placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial, and if the drug is eventually cleared by regulators, could accelerate sales.<\/li>\n<li>Structure Therapeutics&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/03\/structure-therapeutics-glp1-weight-loss\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;that its oral GLP-1 drug led to weight loss in two studies, leading shares to surge in pre-market trading.<\/li>\n<li>Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20240603389820\/en\/Arrowhead-Pharmaceuticals-Reports-Successful-Topline-Results-for-Plozasiran-from-the-Pivotal-Phase-3-PALISADE-Study-in-Patients-with-Familial-Chylomicronemia-Syndrome?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\" data-hs-link-id=\"0\">reported positive results<\/a>&nbsp;from a Phase 3 study of its RNAi-based therapy for familial chylomicronemia syndrome, an ultra-rare disorder that causes high levels of triglycerides.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What to expect from the MDMA advisory committee<\/h2>\n<p>Later this summer, the FDA will decide whether or not to approve MDMA as a therapy for PTSD. It\u2019s a tremendous step for validating psychedelic drugs as therapies, but it\u2019s one being weighed with extreme caution. On Tuesday, a panel of independent scientific advisers will review data on MDMA\u2019s safety and efficacy, and share their feedback with regulators. STAT\u2019s Olivia Goldhill&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/05\/31\/mdma-therapy-ptsd-lykos-fda-advisory-meeting-psychedelics\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">outlines<\/a>&nbsp;the key issues you should look out for in this high-profile ad comm.<\/p>\n<p>One issue the panelists may flag is expectancy bias: Even though the MDMA studies under review are double-blinded, it\u2019s hard to pretend a substance is a psychedelic when it\u2019s not \u2014 and that knowledge likely impacts how a patient responds to a therapy. There are certain safety issues and data suppression concerns to consider, and looming questions around how the FDA will regulate therapy.<\/p>\n<p>But there hasn\u2019t been a new treatment for PTSD in more than two decades \u2014 and many are clamoring for new, effective interventions for this critical mental health issue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-in-article dfp-ad-midbreaker2-wrap\">\n<p class=\"ad-label\">advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/05\/31\/mdma-therapy-ptsd-lykos-fda-advisory-meeting-psychedelics\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Can AstraZeneca make good on its promise?<\/h2>\n<p>AstraZeneca has dominated the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. And it\u2019s hardly the first time.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, 2024 marks the sixth year in a row that the London-based drug giant has had a presentation in the ASCO plenary, the conference\u2019s biggest showcase for new data. This year, the company has two.<\/p>\n<p>But as STAT\u2019s Matthew Herper notes, while scientific credibility is great, shareholders want something else: return on investment. That\u2019s what CEO Pascal Soriot recently promised, when he said that in a mere six years the company&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/05\/21\/astrazeneca-growth-goals\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">would increase its annual sales to $80 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Matt, reporting from the conference, takes a closer look today at AstraZeneca and its pipeline.&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/03\/asco-astrazeneca-cancer\/\">Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Enhertu could change treatment standards for some breast cancers<\/h2>\n<p>The blockbuster cancer drug Enhertu delayed tumor growth for more than a year in women with a common form of metastatic breast cancer, new data presented at ASCO show. It was significantly more potent than chemotherapy, prompting makers Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca to assert that if it\u2019s cleared by regulators, this might become the new standard of care for patients expressing even the faintest amount of HER2 protein, STAT\u2019s Adam Feuerstein&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/02\/breast-cancer-enhertu-astra-zeneca-asco\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">writes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not an overestimation to say that trastuzumab deruxtecan is the most potent drug ever developed for breast cancer,\u201d a Dana-Farber Cancer Institute medical oncologist told STAT. \u201cIt does come with side effects that we\u2019re learning to manage, but with that said, I\u2019ve never seen data like what\u2019s being reported here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/02\/breast-cancer-enhertu-astra-zeneca-asco\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Corbus ADC outperforms Pfizer\u2019s ADC<\/h2>\n<p>CRB-701, an antibody-drug conjugate made by Corbus Pharmaceuticals, worked better in bladder cancer than Pacdev, a similar drug that Pfizer acquired as part of its $43 billion Seagen deal. This underscores, perhaps, why&nbsp; Corbus is currently the second best-performing biotech stock this year, STAT\u2019s Adam Feuerstein writes. At Friday\u2019s close of $42.80, the company\u2019s stock price had risen 609% this year \u2014 second only to Elevation Oncology, which is also developing antibody-drug conjugates.<\/p>\n<p>At ASCO, Corbus showed that its ADC had an overall response rate of 28% from 25 evaluable patients. In a subset of 15 patients, the overall response rate was 40%.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/01\/bladder-cancer-cervical-cancer-adc-corbus\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>GSK blood cancer drug Blenrep has a chance to reenter the market<\/h2>\n<p>Less than two years ago, GSK pulled its blood cancer drug Blenrep from the market. But now there\u2019s chance for resurrection: In multiple myeloma, Blenrep outperformed standard therapies when combined with another medicine, Pomalyst. This is the second positive study of late for Blenrep, which could signal a return to the FDA for a re-approval. There was a complete response rate of 40% for patients who received Blenrep, versus 16% in the control group, data presented at ASCO show.<\/p>\n<p>That said, physicians have other tools in their arsenal that might be challenging for Blenrep sales, STAT\u2019s Andrew Joseph writes \u2014 outside of its spotty history of efficacy before it was pulled from the market.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/02\/multiple-myeloma-blenrep-gsk-asco\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>More reads<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Intellia\u2019s CRISPR-based treatment dramatically reduced patients\u2019 swelling attacks in small trial,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/02\/intellia-crispr-hereditary-angioedema\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">STAT<\/a><\/li>\n<li>AstraZeneca\u2019s Tagrisso greatly slows cancer for some people with stage 3 lung cancer,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/02\/lung-cancer-tagrisso-astra-zeneca-asco\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">STAT<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jazz shares \u2018unprecedented\u2019 HER2 biliary tract cancer data ahead of FDA decision,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiercebiotech.com\/biotech\/asco-jazz-shares-unprecedented-phase-2b-biliary-tract-cancer-data-ahead-fda-decision?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\" data-hs-link-id=\"0\">Fierce Biotech<\/a><\/li>\n<li>FDA oncology head wants clinical trials to range beyond China alone,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/01\/asco-fda-oncology-cancer-pazdur-trials-china\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GqrUbHTm6Tlpdgswu1RSuWOK5idOg3E_BPEAvXPcD1qvljo55KF_WH9eyqlAuaA1azIPv\">STAT<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"plato-post-bottom-links\">\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-amplifi\">SEO Powered Content &amp; PR Distribution. <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amplifipr.com\">Get Amplified Today.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-platodata-network\">PlatoData.Network Vertical Generative Ai. Empower Yourself. <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platodata.network\">Access Here.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-platoaistream\">PlatoAiStream. Web3 Intelligence. 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Biotech and Clinical Trials Intelligence. <a href=\"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Access Here.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-source\"><span>Source:<\/span> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/03\/biotech-news-cancer-enhertu-astrazeneca-agios-gsk-asco-mdma-fda-corbus-pfizer\/?utm_campaign=rss\">https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2024\/06\/03\/biotech-news-cancer-enhertu-astrazeneca-agios-gsk-asco-mdma-fda-corbus-pfizer\/?utm_campaign=rss<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today?&nbsp;Sign up&nbsp;to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning! It\u2019s an ASCO-full newsletter today (and be sure to peruse the More Reads for more reads) but there\u2019s so much more this week. We\u2019re previewing tomorrow\u2019s advisory committee on the closely watched [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":2,"featured_media":604617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"acf":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604614"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":604616,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604614\/revisions\/604616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}