AstraZeneca builds targeted cancer drug portfolio

Advertisement

AstraZeneca is building out a portfolio of targeted cancer drugs, and the first pivotal readout from its wholly owned antibody-drug conjugates is a win: sonesitatug vedotin (Sone-Ve) reduced the risk of death by 42% in previously treated advanced gastric cancer in a phase 3 trial.

The drug is one part of a broader AstraZeneca push in gastrointestinal cancers. Sone-Ve, licensed from KYM Biosciences in 2023, is also in a phase 3 trial as a first-line gastric cancer treatment and in phase 2 trials in Claudin 18.2-positive pancreatic and biliary tract cancers, and the company recently announced a clinical collaboration with Summit Therapeutics to test it with ivonescimab, according to an Oct. 25 news release. AstraZeneca is also developing a Claudin 18.2 T-cell engager licensed from Harbour Biomed, a pan-KRAS inhibitor program licensed from Jacobio and an armored CAR T for liver cancer, and Enhertu, which it develops with Daiichi Sankyo, is already approved for HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer.

In the CLARITY-Gastric01 trial, median overall survival was 10.6 months with Sone-Ve compared with 6.4 months with investigator’s choice of therapy (hazard ratio 0.58). In the third-line and later setting, where overall survival was a primary endpoint, the risk of death fell 53%, with median survival of 10.0 months compared with 5.0 months. At 12 months, 42.6% of patients on Sone-Ve were alive, compared with 27.8% on the comparator.

Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit

Advertisement

Next Up in Pharmacy

Advertisement