Daily Snap - 21. October 2025

Author

Joachim Eeckhout
October 21, 2025

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Good morning! We’ve got a flood of cancer trial data coming out of ESMO again today, so here’s something different to start: Cambridge-based Cyclana Bio just raised £5 million to tackle endometriosis by targeting the extracellular matrix, the “scaffolding” that supports and signals to cells. Co-founded by Dr. Léa Wenger, who was diagnosed with the disease during her PhD, the startup flips traditional drug development by focusing not on what happens inside cells, but on how their environment drives disease. With this new approach, Cyclana aims to reverse tissue scarring involved in endometriosis and potentially expand their technology to other chronic inflammatory conditions.

Enjoy today’s read!

—Joachim E 

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SNIPPETS

What’s happening in biotech today?

🧪Chemo challenger: Daiichi Sankyo and Merck & Co. announced promising phase 2 results for their CDH6-directed antibody-drug conjugate raludotatug deruxtecan (R-DXd) in platinum-resistant ovarian, primary peritoneal, and fallopian tube cancers, reporting a 50.5% overall response rate (ORR) across 107 patients. The partners chose the 5.6 mg/kg middle dose, showing a 50% ORR with two complete responses, for the phase 3 portion, prioritizing safety after ILD-related concerns at higher doses. With a 77.6% disease control rate and tolerability deemed acceptable, they plan to compare R-DXd to chemotherapy and explore combination therapy with Keytruda. The results position R-DXd as a potential frontrunner in CDH6-targeted treatments.

 🌪️Side effect storm: Exelixis shares fell over 10% following the release of phase 3 trial data for its experimental drug zanzalintinib combined with Tecentriq in metastatic colorectal cancer. The STELLAR-303 trial, which included 901 patients, showed a median overall survival of 10.9 months with the combination versus 9.4 months with standard therapy Stivarga. While the survival benefit was consistent across subgroups, analysts and investors found the results modest, especially given comparable efficacy to existing treatments like Avastin and Lonsurf. Safety concerns also emerged, with 59% experiencing severe adverse events and six treatment-related deaths reported. Exelixis still plans to seek FDA approval by year-end.

🥊Steroid slugging: Roche is pursuing FDA approval for its IL-6 inhibitor vamikibart in uveitic macular edema despite mixed phase 3 trial results. The company conducted two identical studies, MEERKAT and SANDCAT, comparing two doses of vamikibart to a sham control. While MEERKAT met its primary endpoint, SANDCAT did not, largely due to poor performance of the high dose group. Both trials showed comparable low-dose efficacy and meaningful improvements in secondary endpoints such as visual acuity and retinal thickness. Roche argues the totality of the data supports approval, though analysts remain cautious, and regulators’ interpretation will determine the drug’s commercial future in a steroid-dominated market.

🦛 Hippo hit: Vivace Therapeutics is preparing to launch a phase 3 trial for its experimental mesothelioma drug VT3989 after reporting promising results from an ongoing phase 1/2 study. In patients with treatment-resistant mesothelioma, the TEAD inhibitor targeting the Hippo pathway achieved a 32% objective response rate, with 7 of 22 evaluable patients experiencing tumor shrinkage and 12 showing disease stabilization. Median progression-free survival reached 40 weeks, more than double the standard 15 weeks with chemotherapy. The drug demonstrated a favorable safety profile with no dose-limiting toxicities among 172 enrolled patients. If approved, VT3989 would be the first therapy to directly target the Hippo pathway.

 👑More ADC wins: AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s antibody-drug conjugate Datroway showed strong results in a phase 3 trial for triple-negative, metastatic breast cancer patients ineligible for immunotherapy. In the TROPION-Breast02 study, Datroway extended median overall survival to 23.7 months versus 18.7 months with chemotherapy and nearly doubled progression-free survival (10.8 vs. 5.6 months). Tumor shrinkage occurred in 63% of Datroway-treated patients, compared to 29% on chemo, with a 43% reduction in risk of progression or death. While side effects were similar across groups, one treatment-related death was reported. Datroway may compete with Gilead’s Trodelvy, showing a slightly stronger clinical profile in early comparisons.

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