Bayer terminated a two-year-old partnership with Atara Biotherapeutics that included the development of off-the-shelf T-cell immunotherapy for high mesothelin-expressing tumors.

FDA sign

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a partial clinical hold for Foghorn Therapeutics’ Phase I clinical study, investigating the safety and efficacy of FHD-286 in patients with relapsed and/or refractory acute myelodysplastic leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The hold follows a serious adverse event in which a study participant died after developing possible differentiation syndrome.

Bristol Myers Squibb shared the news that the company’s Phase III clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of Opdivo and Yervoy combination therapy (NCT03036098) in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma failed to meet the predetermined primary endpoint. A posthoc analysis was shared by Synairgen suggesting that, despite SNG001 failing to meet the primary endpoint of patient recovery and subsequent hospital discharge in a Phase III study for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who required supplemental oxygen treatment, they may benefit from receiving the treatment.

Researchers at Yale University published research in Molecular Biology and Evolution describing a new molecular analysis approach to quantify DNA changes that contribute to cancer growth.

Cullinan Oncology and Taiho Pharmaceutical announced that Taiho was acquiring Cullinan Pearl and will co-develop and co-commercialize a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) drug.

BridgeBio announced that the Palo Alto, Calif.-based biopharmaceutical company signed an exclusive deal with Bristol Myers Squibb to develop and commercialize a potential treatment for cancer.

Roche

The fresh blow to Roche’s hopes in a closely watched class of cancer immunotherapies cast a long shadow across the crowded field on May 11, but the latest setback is not the end of the road for these oncology treatments, analysts say.

Development of a new cancer treatment pioneered by Roche was thrown into doubt on May 11 when the immunotherapy drug failed to slow progression of lung cancer in a second trial, hitting the Swiss pharmaceutical maker’s shares.

Twist Bioscience and Astellas have entered into a research collaboration and exclusive option license agreement to identify potential therapeutic antibodies which would help to reduce tumor microenvironment-mediated immunosuppression.

BioNTech continues to build on the success of the company’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine co-developed with Pfizer, rapidly expanding its investigational pipeline to include additional infectious diseases and oncology with a first-in-class CAR-T program in solid tumors.