BioNTech Says Experimental Breast Cancer Drug Succeeded In Trial
The trial was conducted in China. It studied 228 patients whose cancers had spread or who weren’t candidates for surgery, and who had been treated with chemotherapy and trastuzumab.
BioNTech SE said an experimental drug succeeded in a breast cancer study, the first dividend of the German Covid-19 vaccine maker’s collaboration with Chinese biotech Duality Biotherapeutics Inc.
The next-generation medicine beat Roche Holding AG’s older breast-cancer therapy Kadcyla in the study, with patients who got the new drug less likely to see their cancer get worse or to die, BioNTech said Friday. The results came at an interim analysis before the study had been scheduled to complete.
Cancer is a cornerstone for future growth for BioNTech, which made billions in revenue during the pandemic with its Covid vaccine partner Pfizer Inc. Friday’s results were the first late-stage trial success from the partnership with Duality, as well as the first time one of BioNTech’s cancer compounds has succeeded in a study that could lead to regulatory approval.
The trial was conducted in China. It studied 228 patients whose cancers had spread or who weren’t candidates for surgery, and who had been treated with chemotherapy and trastuzumab — an older therapy now generic in many markets — that Roche originally sold under the brand name Herceptin.
Duality Biotherapeutics specializes in antibody-drug conjugates for cancer and has emphasized the importance of speed in discovering and developing these drugs. It has also struck partnerships with companies including GSK Plc and Avenzo Therapeutics Inc.
Those overseas deals — and the potential for future milestone payments — have sparked investor interest in its stock. Since listing in Hong Kong this April, its shares have risen more than 280%.
