ASCO 21: With Bristol Myers set for its own big LAG-3 update at...

ASCO 21:
With Bristol Myers set for its own big LAG-3 update at ASCO, Merck touts early success for a potential competitor

Bristol Myers Squibb is set to be the belle of the ball at this year’s ASCO with a big late-stage readout for its anti-LAG-3 antibody relatlimab in first-line melanoma.
But there’s row of challengers in the early stages of development — and one, I/O giant Merck, thinks it could have a winner of its own.

A combination of Merck’s investigational LAG-3 checkpoint inhibitor, dubbed favezelimab, and Keytruda posted an overall response rate of 6.8% with 1 confirmed response and 4 partial responses in patients with microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer, according to Phase I data set to be presented at ASCO in June.It’s not a percentage that will blow you away, (understatement) but Merck believes it could have a winner in the combination therapy in metastatic CRC, where patients who fail one or two more courses of standard of care often have few options for therapy with an overall survival rate of 6 to 9 months

If this is the best Merck come up with at ASCO in response to BMS and LAG-3 combo (Relatlimab/Opdivo) highly impressive P3 data readout, then punters will be blown away by TACTI-002 updated data - even if its only as good as recent abstract data.

This may force Merck's hand. Is favezelimab a 'sacrificial lamb'....enter eftilagimod alpha......

Also now BMS has the first P3 proven LAG-3 drug, I would suggest they will be taking a long and hard look at Immutep.
Immutep Big Pharma partners will no doubt be taking an even keener interest too....

Looking forward to business development update post ASCO (date yet to be released) as per ASX announcement 29 April.....