Healthy Returns: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Gilead and other drugmakers release promising cancer drug data at ASCO

CNBC

03-06-2025

I'm back in New York City after spending the last weekend in Chicago for the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.
More than 5,000 research abstracts were presented or published at ASCO by pharmaceutical giants, biotech companies, researchers and oncologists. They included studies on existing drugs, experimental treatments, AI tools and ideas for improving patient care.
Here are some data highlights and executive commentary from the larger companies I follow:
AstraZeneca wins big (again) – The blockbuster drug Enhertu from AstraZeneca and Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo stalled the growth of a common type of breast cancer by more than a year in a large late-stage trial when used as an initial treatment. The results could expand the use of the drug and change the way the disease is treated for the first time in a decade.
The study evaluated Enhertu in combination with a standard medicine called pertuzumab as a frontline treatment, meaning it was used in patients newly diagnosed with what's known as HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Patients who got the Enhertu combination lived for almost 41 months before their disease spread, while a group who received a standard three-drug treatment lived for about 27 months before the cancer advanced.
David Fredrickson, executive vice president of AstraZeneca's oncology business, told CNBC that one in three patients who start treatment for this type of cancer are not able to receive a second type of therapy because their health worsened or they died.
But the results show that the Enhertu combination could give "another third of patients a chance to potentially have a longer progression-free survival time and to benefit from a more effective frontline therapy than if you wait till a second one."
Pfizer impresses in colorectal cancer – The company's pill Braftovi, combined with two other cancer treatments, doubled survival time for patients with an aggressive form of colorectal cancer compared to a standard treatment in a late-stage trial. It's good news for Pfizer, which has submitted the data to the Food and Drug Administration to expand Braftovi's approval label.
The three-treatment combination included a standard chemotherapy, an antibody drug called cetuximab and Braftovi, which targets a cancer mutation called BRAF V600E. That combination also cut deaths by 51% and slashed the risk that the cancer would progress by 47% compared to a standard treatment during the trial.
Pfizer's Chief Scientific Officer Chris Boshoff told CNBC that 10% to 15% of colorectal cancer patients have that specific mutation, and noted their survival rates are "particularly poor."
"We're very proud of [the data] because for the first time, it really shows a true impact on survival for a disease that's very challenging to treat," he said.
Gilead and Merck combo's breast cancer win — The popular drug Trodelvy from Gilead in combination with Merck's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda lowered the risk of an aggressive type of breast cancer worsening by 35% when used as an initial treatment in a late-stage trial. Gilead could benefit from higher sales of Trodelvy as it competes with Enhertu.
The study examined patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer whose tumors express PD-L1, the protein targeted by drugs like Keytruda. Around 15% of breast cancer cases are triple negative, making them more aggressive and difficult to treat, according to Gilead.
The findings suggest that the combination of Trodelvy and Keytruda "will likely become a new front-line standard of care in this setting," Dr. Jane Lowe Meisel, co-director of breast oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and a designated ASCO expert, said in a statement.
A Merck, Daiichi Sankyo drug disappoints in lung cancer – Merck and Daiichi Sankyo on Thursday said they have withdrawn their U.S. application for an experimental treatment after it failed to prolong the lives of lung cancer patients in a late-stage trial.
The drug, patritumab deruxtecan, is one of three so-called antibody drug conjugates that Merck has been working on with Daiichi Sankyo as it races to offset Keytruda's upcoming loss of exclusivity.
The medication failed the trial's secondary goal of extending overall survival, which is defined as the length of time patients lived from the start of treatment. Those results, along with subsequent discussions with the FDA, led the companies to withdraw the application.
But last year, the drug met the study's main goal of helping delay tumor progression compared to chemotherapy in patients who have been previously treated for non-small cell lung cancer with a mutation in a gene called EGFR.
Marjorie Greene, Merck's head of oncology global clinical development, told CNBC that the "totality of the data couldn't support" the drug's application for approval. She called it a disappointment but noted that the company is learning from "what worked and what didn't work" and is still "fully investing" in refining the drug.
Merck and Daiichi Sankyo plan on advancing the treatment into a late-stage development for breast cancer.
Amgen's positive lung cancer data: The company's drug, Imdelltra, reduced the risk of death by 40% compared to chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer patients whose disease had worsened after an initial round of chemotherapy, according to data from a late-stage trial.
Imdelltra also extended median overall survival by more than five months compared to the standard-of-care chemotherapy.
Amgen said the trial results are intended to support last year's accelerated approval of Imdelltra by the FDA.
BONUS: Bristol Myers Squibb inks deal with BioNTech – Bristol Myers Squibb on Monday said it has agreed to pay up to $11.1 billion to partner with BioNTech and develop its next-generation cancer immunotherapy.
The drug could take on Keytruda and new treatments in development by Summit Therapeutics and Pfizer. BioNTech is running late-stage studies on the drug in lung cancer and plans to start a phase three trial in triple-negative breast cancer this year.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at [e-mail].
The FDA this week approved the first-ever AI platform for breast cancer prediction from Boston-based Clairity, marking a big milestone for women's health tech and potentially for women's health screening.
I profiled Clairity's founder Dr. Connie Lehman three years ago, as part of a story on investment in Femtech. At the time, she told CNBC the accuracy of technology can help reduce over-screening for women who are presumed to be at risk, while helping to identify women who might otherwise not be monitored until they've already developed cancer.
"By delivering validated, equitable risk assessments, we can help expand access to life-saving early detection and prevention for women everywhere," she said in the company's announcement of the approval.
But to save lives, the next big step is to ensure women have access to the breakthrough technology as a preventive screening. The American Medical Association will first need to issue a billing code, which for some AI-driven tools has been slow to come. That code will be crucial to securing insurance coverage.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Bertha at [e-mail].
Amazon Pharmacy on Tuesday announced new updates for caregivers and more than 50 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries.
Launched in 2020, Amazon Pharmacy was formed out of the company's 2018 acquisition of the online pharmacy PillPack. The offering is now a full-service, digital pharmacy that can help support patients with both one-off and recurring prescriptions. Prime members in cities like Los Angeles and New York City are eligible for same-day medication deliveries.
Amazon said that customers with Medicare insurance can now directly access PillPack's services, which means those with two or more prescriptions can have their medications sorted into individual tear-away packets labeled with the date and time.
The company said these monthly shipments will reduce the need for patients to keep track of multiple pill bottles and help them stick to their routines, according to a release. Patients interested in accessing pre-sorted medications through PillPack can sign up by logging into Amazon Pharmacy.
Amazon Pharmacy also introduced a new way for verified caregivers to help manage medications on behalf of their loved ones. Around one in every five adults in the U.S. are caring for an aging family member, according to AARP.
Patients can invite trusted caregivers to help oversee their medications by submitting their phone number. The caregiver will receive a text with a link, have to confirm details about the patient in question, and then can begin managing the patient's medications through their own account.
"These updates deliver what our customers have been asking for—simpler medication management for themselves and their loved ones," John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Amazon's online pharmacy is a part of the company's multi-year effort to push into the health-care industry. The company acquired primary care provider One Medical for roughly $3.9 billion in July 2022.
Read the full announcement here.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at [e-mail].