Compugen IND Application for Triple Combination Study Cleared by the US FDA The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Compugen’s (CGEN) investigational new drug (IND) application for its Phase 1/2 study evaluating the triple combination of COM701, Compugen’s first-in-class anti-PVRIG antibody, OPDIVO® (nivolumab) — Bristol Myers Squibb’s (BMY) PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor and BMS-986207, Bristol Myers Squibb’s investigational anti-TIGIT antibody, in patients with advanced …

Nektar Therapeutics Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) announced the publication of Phase 1 clinical data for its immuno-oncology candidate, bempegaldesleukin (BEMPEG: NKTR-214) + nivolumab, in Cancer Discovery -  a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Previously published Phase 1 data in Cancer Discovery informed that BEMPEG administered as monotherapy . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to log in.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and bluebird bio  Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and bluebird bio (

CytomX Therapeutics CytomX (CTMX) is a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on the firm’s Probody® technology platform for cancer treatments. CytomX’s Probody therapeutics remain inactive until they are activated by proteases in the tumor microenvironment.   Why This is Important By remaining inactive until activated by the cancers’ microenvironment’s proteases, the Probody therapeutics minimizes the active drug’s toxicity …

Exelixis Rallying from CheckMate-9ER Trial Results Exelixis (EXEL) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (

Prohost Letter #439 The Coronavirus Outbreak - COVID-19 The news announced that the coronavirus (now known as COVID-19) outbreak would affect not only people’s health and survival but the world’s economy, Wall Street’s performance, and especially the international giant industrial firms that are committed to China. British AstraZeneca (AZN

Gilead Stock Is UP Gilead Sciences’ (GILD) provided its antiviral experimental drug remdesivir to physicians for a small number of patients infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as a possible emergency savior. Gilead might have also signed an agreement with the Chinese authorities to conduct a clinical trial with remdesivir to treat coronavirus infected patients. Remdesivir was intended to treat the Ebola virus but …

Time to Remember Compugen The time has ripened for our readers and biotech investors to remember what we posted in the past years about Compugen (CGEN). The importance of the reminder is that the firm has taken a long time to bring its target discoveries and its targeted treatments into clinical trials whose preliminary results have demonstrated promise. Compugen is headquartered in Israel with offices …

Nektar in the NEWS The FDA's Anesthetic and Analgesic Advisory Committee (AADPAC) and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee (DSaRM) unanimously voted no regarding the approval of Nektar Pharmaceuticals’ (NKTR) New Drug Application (NDA) for its opioid product oxycodegol (formerly NKTR-181). In a short

Nektar Therapeutics and Bristol-Myers Squibb Agreement Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) announced their agreement for a new joint development plan aimed at advancing the combination of Nektar’s bempegaldesleukin (bempeg) + Bristol-Myers’ Opdivo (nivolumab) into multiple new registrational trials. The decision is based on a revision of the strategic collaboration agreement. It includes a new plan where both firms will expand the active clinical development …

Nektar Therapeutics Presents NKTR-255 at ASH Nektar Therapeutics’ (NKTR) IL-15 agonist investigational candidate NKTR-255 presentations at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition have been promising. Positive data presented from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center preclinical studies conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and more. NKTR-255 is currently . . . This content is for paid subscribers. …

Firstly, Forty-Seven and IVERIC bio  We remind that the two condemned stocks Forty-Seven (FTSV) and  IVERIC bio (

The Week in Review #47 What A Week For Biotechnology Synopsis In this “Week in Review” there is no complicated scientific and clinical information, leaving the details to the articles that we usually post on the Prohost website. Most of the Prohost picked firms’ Q3 financial results have beaten expectations. Three firms have reached the Prohost 2019 targets, and more firms have outperformed, with some …

News from Nektar Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) announced that new data from patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, who were enrolled in the PIVOT-02 study, will be presented at the upcoming 5th CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Cancer Immunotherapy Conference being held from September 25 to September 28, 2019 in Paris, France. The PIVOT-02 study is evaluating NKTR-214 . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe …

Amgen Agreement with Celgene for Otezla® In the News Amgen (AMGN) entered into an agreement with Celgene (CELG) to acquire worldwide rights to Otezla® (apremilast), the only oral, non-biologic treatment for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and certain related assets and liabilities for $13.4 billion in cash. Amgen cited the benefits of this agreement as follows: A strong fit with Amgen’s long-standing expertise in inflammation and …

Nektar Therapeutics Story Everything was going well with Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) stock during the Conference call regarding the firm’s Q2 financial results. (See the firm's press release under our Impacting News column). Following the Conference call the company unveiled that some of the patients treated in . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to log in.

Gilead Sciences Activities There is no doubt that Gilead Sciences (GILD) is doing whatever it takes to expand, improve and upgrade its pipeline products. For the last couple of months, each and every week, we heard news about collaborations with some companies and investment in others as well as licensing products from large, medium-sized and small firms. In less than ten . . . This content is for …

Nektar Announced Results for NKTR-358  During an oral session at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2019, in Madrid, Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) announced results of the first-in-human Phase 1a study evaluating single-ascending doses of NKTR-358 for the treatment of autoimmune and other chronic inflammatory conditions.  The . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to log in.

CRISPR Therapeutics' (CRSP) stock added around $8 today while reporting financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018. Here is what Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics, has stated,“This past year was truly transformational for CRISPR Therapeutics as we achieved milestones across our key programs in β-thalassemia, sickle cell disease and immuno-oncology. We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made in …

Keytruda and Cabometyx Are Both Winners Keytruda failed to meet co-primary endpoints in Pivotal Phase 3 trial The pivotal Phase 3 KEYNOTE-240 trial evaluating Keytruda, Merck’s (MRK) checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1 therapy plus best supportive care, for the treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who were previously treated with systemic therapy, did not meet its co-primary endpoints of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival …