Biotech Values

[jq1234]

>> Are the data so good that it looks clearly better than what you could expect from Opdivo monotherapy in a small study at (I’m assuming) top US academic centers? I don’t think so.


Exactly. People shouldn’t compare n=38 with ph3 with n>300. Look at epacadostat combination with pembrolizumab or nivolumab, similar or even better ORR/CR compared to NKTR-214/nivolumab in small trials. Once they expand into large ph3 when they enrolled more diverse and sicker patients, epacadostat + pembrolizumab ORR plummeted: ORR from 58% to 34%, CR from 26% to 4% while pembrolizumab relatively consistent with previous ph3. So, one needs to discount small n study significantly from ph3 trial. I don’t think this would settle until ph3 confirm one way or the other. I would’ve given NKTR-214 more benefit of doubt if monotherapy had produced ORR like ipilimumab monotherapy did.