Health and Healthcare

ASCO Could Make or Break These 7 Cancer Drug Trials

Thinkstock

It is now getting close to the middle of May, and that means one thing for biotech investors. The king of biotech and pharma events is about to take place. The 2016 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is set to run from June 3 to June 7 in Chicago. Some of the main exhibitors at by ASCO are AbbVie, ImmunoGen and Immunomedics.

This conference has the potential to make or break companies, with winners walking away from this event with a nice gain and losers trying to pick up the pieces. For some background. we outlined some of ASCO’s big winners from last year; however, these companies may or may not have repeat performances this year.

Keep in mind that the abstracts for ASCO will not be released until May 18, unless the company has independently released its abstract. There are many more companies just like these that have yet to release their presentation information for ASCO.

24/7 Wall St. wanted to make a log of companies that have already signaled that they will be presenting data or that data will be presented on their behalf at the 2016 ASCO annual meeting. The data follows:

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) plans on presenting long-term data on Rova-T, including overall survival. Also Rova-T recently was selected to be included in the Best of ASCO Program. So far in 2016, AbbVie’s stock is up nearly 10%.


Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) is gearing up for the annual meeting, where the company will present data on its Phase 2 ALTA trial of brigatinib. So far in 2016, Ariad is up 22%.

Celator Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CPXX) previously announced that it will be presenting data from its Phase 3 clinical trial for Vyxeos (cytarabine daunorubicin) Liposome for injection, also known as CPX-351. Celator has risen by over 700% year to date.

ImmunoGen Inc. (NASDAQ: IMGN) was one of the big winners from last year, with the stock nearly doubling to start off the annual meeting. This year the company will present data from a 46-patient Phase 1 expansion cohort assessing this ADC as monotherapy for FRα-positive platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. This cohort was increased from 20 patients to provide additional experience in the patient population to better inform the design of ImmunoGen’s FORWARD I trial. The data presented will be updated from the 20-patient data reported previously and from that available at the time of abstract submission. ImmunoGen shares are down about 56% year to date.

Immunomedics Inc. (NASDAQ: IMMU) is set to present data at this conference on its lead antibody-drug conjugate, sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132). In patients with triple-negative breast cancer, IMMU-132 has been selected as part of the Best of ASCO Program. So far in 2016, Immunomedics stock is up 25%.

Kite Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: KITE) plans to host an investor event at ASCO, at which it will update its durability data for its CD19 CAR therapy. Kite Pharma shares are down nearly 26% year to date.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is releasing important data for its oncology franchise, including Ibrance, avelumab and PF-05082566. So far in 2016, Pfizer has watched its shares rise over 5%.

Essential Tips for Investing (Sponsored)

A financial advisor can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of investment properties. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Investing in real estate can diversify your portfolio. But expanding your horizons may add additional costs. If you’re an investor looking to minimize expenses, consider checking out online brokerages. They often offer low investment fees, helping you maximize your profit.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.