Personalised treatment continues to be a major theme observed at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, much overshadowing the exciting clinical potential of biotech derived ‘off-the-shelf’ assets, according to Edison Group. The conference follows on the heels of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting 2023, where Merck and Moderna reported further data from their personalised mRNA vaccine (mRNA-4157 (V940))/Keytruda Phase II combination study in melanoma patients as they now look towards Phase III studies in 2023. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Gilead Sciences were also provided updates at ASCO with new survival data for their marketed patient-derived CAR-T treatments, Carvykti and Yescarta, in multiple myeloma and B-cell lymphoma, respectively. Big pharma often dominate the headlines at events such as ASCO despite the potential shortcomings associated with some of their own technologies. In this report Edison Group wants to shine a spotlight on non-patient derived, ‘off-the-shelf’ therapies that they believe could provide distinct competitive advantages compared to their individualised counterparts.
