competitive against Summit's ivonescimab
May 15, 2025 1:34 PM ETBioNTech SE (BNTX) Stock, SMMT StockBy: Jonathan Block, SA
BNT327, a bispecific antibody candidate under development by BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) that is seen as critical to the biotech's future success, will compete favorably against rival Summit Therapeutics' (NASDAQ:SMMT) ivonescimab, according to a BioNTech exec.
Speaking at the FT Live US Pharma and Biotech Summit in New York City on Thursday, BioNTech Chief Commercial Officer Annemarie Hanekamp said that the company is planning significant data readouts related to BNT327 this year.
She added that BioNTech operates with a differentiated strategy, as its pipeline includes other types of oncology treatments, such as antibody-drug conjugates as well as other bispecific antibodies, that could potentially be used in combination.
BNT327, which the Germany-based biotech got through its $950M acquisition of Chinese biotech Biotheus in November 2024, combines PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition with VEGF-A neutralization. It is in advanced development for non-small and small cell lung cancer, as well as triple-negative breast cancer.
Ivonescimab, also a bispecific antibody, is in late-stage development for the same indications, as well as head and neck cancer, biliary tract cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
Summit's asset drew headlines in September 2024 after the stock surged following phase 3 results showing that ivonescimab bested Merck's Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in lung cancer patients.
Should BNT327 eventually win U.S. FDA approval, it could face a problem thanks to President Trump's trade war with China. The bispecific antibody is currently manufactured by a contract development and manufacturer there.
However, during BioNTech's recent Q1 earnings call, Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Richardson said the company is "diversifying our supply base and our plans over the next couple of years are to establish multiple supply nodes, including outside of China."
seekingalpha.com/news/...ivonescimab?utm_source=feed_news_all