1. Tecentriq Reduced Risk of Death and Recurrence in ctDNA-Positive Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer After Surgery
On 20 October 2025, Roche announced positive results from the phase III IMvigor011 study, which evaluates Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as an adjuvant treatment for people with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who are at risk of recurrence after surgery (cystectomy) and have detectable circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). Atezolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that blocks PD-L1. Using Natera’s Signatera™ ctDNA test to guide treatment, Tecentriq reduced the risk of death by 41% and the risk of disease recurrence or death by 36% compared with placebo. With a median follow-up of 16.1 months, disease-free survival was 9.9 months in the treatment arm versus 4.8 months in the placebo arm. Meanwhile, the overall survival rate was 32.8 months compared to 21.1 months.
Link: https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2025-10-20b
2. RINVOQ® Demonstrated Superior Efficacy to HUMIRA in Moderate to Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis
On 20 October 2025, AbbVie announced positive results from the Phase 3b/4 SELECT-SWITCH trial for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It showed that RINVOQ® (upadacitinib) was superior to HUMIRA® (adalimumab) in adults with moderate to severe RA who did not respond to or were intolerant of a prior TNF inhibitor. At week 12, 43.3% of patients on upadacitinib achieved low disease activity (DAS28-CRP ≤3.2) versus 22.4% on adalimumab, and 28.4% achieved remission (DAS28-CRP <2.6) versus 14.5% on adalimumab. The new therapy provides alternatives for TNF inhibitor therapy.
3. CD19 NEX-T CAR T Therapy Showed Immune Reset and Reduced Need for Immunosuppressants in Autoimmune Diseases
On 25 October 2025, BMS reported early results from the Phase 1 Breakfree-1 trial evaluating its investigational CD19 NEX-T™ CAR T cell therapy (BMS-986353) in systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Among 71 treated patients, the treatment showed signs of achieving an immune reset, with 94% of evaluable patients stopped receiving chronic immunosuppressive therapy at the time of analysis. The single-infusion CAR T treatment induced robust CAR T expansion, complete B cell depletion, and re-emergence of naïve B cells across all cohorts.
4. Icotrokinra Achieved High and Durable Skin Clearance in Difficult-to-Treat Psoriasis Areas
On 24 October 2025, Johnson & Johnson announced Phase 3 ICONIC-TOTAL trial results showing that icotrokinra, an oral peptide targeting the IL-23 receptor, in patients with difficult-to-treat scalp, genital, and hand/foot psoriasis. At Week 52, 72% of patients with scalp psoriasis and 85% with genital psoriasis achieved clear or almost clear skin, while 67% of all patients reached Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) 0/1 and 44% achieved completely clear skin (IGA 0). The outcomes sustained from Week 24 to 52 and responses were consistent in both adults and adolescents. These findings underscore icotrokinra’s potential as a promising new targeted oral therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
5. AlphaMedix Showed Strong and Durable Tumor Responses in Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors
On 20 October 2025, Sanofi presented data from the ALPHAMEDIX-02 phase 2 study, AlphaMedix, a first-in-class targeted alpha therapy (TAT) directed at somatostatin receptors (SSTR) for patients with advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). The study included both radioligand therapy (RLT)-naïve and RLT-exposed patients. In RLT-naïve patients (n=35), AlphaMedix achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 60% (investigator-assessed), and with disease control rates (DCR) was over 85%. Moreover, the 36-month overall survival (OS) rate was 88% and 72% of patients remained progression-free at 36 months. In RLT-exposed patients (n=26), AlphaMedix achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 34.6% (investigator-assessed). The progression-free survival rate at 18 months exceeded 80%, and durable responses lasted more than 18 months in all responders.
Link: https://www.sanofi.com/en/media-room/press-releases/2025/2025-10-20-06-30-00-3169092
6. Oral Carbapenem Tebipenem HBr Matched IV Therapy of imipenem-cilastatin in Complicated Urinary Tract Infections
On 20 October 2025, GSK and Spero Therapeutics announced positive results from the Phase III PIVOT-PO evaluating tebipenem HBr, an investigational oral carbapenem antibiotic for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs). The drug was shown to be non-inferior compared to the intravenous imipenem-cilastatin. The study was stopped early due to strong efficacy, with the overall response rates (clinical cure + bacterial eradication) of 58.5% for oral tebipenem HBr and 60.2% for IV imipenem-cilastatin, confirming comparable effectiveness. The secondary endpoints supported these results, with clinical cure rates of 93.5% versus 95.2%, and microbiological response rates of 60.3% versus 61.3%, respectively, both confirming comparable effectiveness.
7. Baricitinib Restored Significant Hair Regrowth in Adolescents with Severe Alopecia Areata
On 24 October 2025, Eli Lilly and Company and Incyte announced positive Phase 3 BRAVE-AA-PEDS results investigating baricitinib (Olumiant®), an oral JAK inhibitor, for adolescents (ages 12–17) with severe alopecia areata (AA). After 52 weeks of treatment with baricitinib 4 mg, 71% of adolescents with severe disease achieved successful scalp hair regrowth (≥80% coverage, SALT ≤20). Overall, 54.1% of patients on 4 mg and 31% on 2 mg achieved successful hair regrowth, while 41.2% and 26.2%, respectively, achieved near-complete regrowth (≥90% scalp coverage, SALT ≤10). Eyebrow and eyelash regrowth were also significant, with 64.8% and 63.3% of patients on 4 mg showing marked recovery. Baricitinib was approved for several autoimmune diseases, and the companies plan to submit the latest results to the regulatory bodies.
8. EBGLYSS Maintained Long-Term Skin Clearance With Flexible Dosing in Atopic Dermatitis
On 24 October 2025, Eli Lilly and Company announced positive results from the Phase 3 ADjoin extension trial showing EBGLYSS (lebrikizumab-lbkz) in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). EBGLYSS is a high-affinity IL-13 inhibitor. 79% of patients (EASI 75) achieved or maintained meaningful skin improvement with once every eight weeks (Q8W) dosing. It was comparable to the response seen with standard once-monthly (Q4W) dosing (86%). Moreover, 62% (Q8W) versus 73% (Q4W) of patients maintained clear or almost clear skin (IGA 0/1) at the endpoint, with no new safety or immunogenicity concerns observed.
9. LENVIMA® Plus KEYTRUDA® Demonstrated Durable Five-Year Survival Benefit in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
On 20 October 2025, Eisai and Merck announced five-year follow-up results from the Phase 3 Study 309/KEYNOTE-775 trial, showing that the combination of LENVIMA® (lenvatinib) and KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) continues to deliver a durable survival benefit versus chemotherapy in patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma. Among patients with mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) tumors, the five-year overall survival (OS) rate was 16.7% with LENVIMA plus KEYTRUDA compared to 7.3% with chemotherapy alone. In the overall population, the OS rate was 19.9% vs. 7.7%, with a median OS of 18.7 vs. 11.9 months.
Link: https://www.eisai.com/news/2025/news202573.html
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