On April 27, 2026 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) (the "Company"), a leader in diagnostic information services, reported the pricing of a public offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.000% senior notes due 2036 (the "Notes") under Quest Diagnostics’ shelf registration statement.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Quest Diagnostics expects to receive the net offering proceeds upon closing on May 6, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment of indebtedness. The indebtedness the Company may repay with the net proceeds of this offering includes its $500 million aggregate principal amount of 3.45% Senior Notes which will mature on June 1, 2026.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any of these securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This offering may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus, copies of which or information concerning this offering may be obtained by calling Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, toll free at 1 (866) 471-2526, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, collect at 1-212-834-4533 or Mizuho Securities USA LLC, toll free at 1-866-271-7403.

(Press release, Quest Diagnostics, APR 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234664800])

On April 27, 2026 Purple Biotech Ltd. ("Purple Biotech" or "the Company") (NASDAQ/TASE: PPBT), a clinical-stage company developing a next-generation immunotherapy platform designed to maximize anti-cancer efficacy while minimizing toxicity, reported new preclinical data supporting the clinical potential of IM1240, the Company’s lead CAPTN-3 tri-specific antibody. IM1240 is a conditionally activated, capped-CD3 × 5T4 × NKG2A tri-specific designed to direct tumor-selective T-cell activation while also leveraging NKG2A-mediated checkpoint inhibition to enhance anti-tumor activity.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The new data, generated in the laboratory of Dr. Amir Horowitz of the Tisch Cancer Institute and the Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity for IM1240 across multiple treatment-resistant patient-derived tumor samples. All seven tested samples responded to IM1240 treatment, including samples from PD-1 or PD-1/chemo-resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma metastatic lymph nodes and enfortumab vedotin + PD-1-resistant muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

"These data demonstrate the critical contribution of IM1240’s NKG2A arm, confirmed using a variant with a mutated NKG2A-binding domain, which resulted in loss of apoptotic activity across all samples," said Dr. Horowitz. "Further tissue profiling analyses of NSCLC patient-derived explants demonstrated that treatment with IM1240 induced pronounced immune cell reorganization within the tissue hallmarked by visible induction of mature tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), which are associated with strong anti-tumor immunity and improved clinical outcomes, as well as increased abundances of CD8 T cells and NK cells, and reduction in numbers of Tregs and tumor cells."

Gil Efron, Chief Executive Officer of Purple Biotech added, "The differentiation of the CAPTN-3 platform from other T cell engagers with the contribution of its NKG2A arm that dually engages NK cells and enhances activity and expands the therapeutic index which we believe is very important for patients’ treatment and for potential improved clinical outcomes, and we are excited by these results from the lab of Dr. Amir Horowitz. IM1240 has the potential to treat resistant patients across multiple tumor types as supported by preclinical data in triple-negative breast cancer, NSCLC, head & neck and bladder cancer models, suggesting a significant market opportunity."

About the CAPTN-3 Platform

CAPTN-3, Purple Biotech’s lead program, is a platform of masked tri-specific antibodies that simultaneously target tumor-associated antigens while engaging both T cells and NK cells. Proprietary capping technology confines immune activation to the tumor microenvironment by masking the CD3-binding arm in circulation and activating it only at the tumor site, significantly expanding the therapeutic window versus unmasked T-cell engagers. The platform’s lead candidates, IM1240 (targeting 5T4) and IM1305 (targeting TROP2), are in preclinical development.

(Press release, Purple Biotech, APR 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234664799])

On April 27, 2026 Protara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TARA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing transformative therapies for the treatment of cancer and rare diseases, reported that updated, interim data from Cohort A of the ongoing Phase 2 open-label ADVANCED-2 trial evaluating TARA-002 in patients with BCG-Naïve non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) will be featured during a poster session at the upcoming American Urological Association (AUA) 2026 Annual Meeting taking place from May 15, 2026 to May 18, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The presentation will include data from the abstract published on the AUA website, as well as updated safety and efficacy data as of an April 5, 2026 data cutoff from 31 enrolled BCG-Naïve patients. A second poster presentation will feature previously reported data from the ADVANCED-2 trial cohort of BCG-Unresponsive patients that was originally presented at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in February 2026.

ADVANCED-2 (NCT05951179) is a Phase 2 open-label trial assessing intravesical TARA-002 in NMIBC patients with carcinoma in situ or CIS (± Ta/T1) who are Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-Unresponsive or BCG-Naïve. Trial subjects received an induction course, with or without a reinduction, of six weekly intravesical instillations of TARA-002, followed by a maintenance course of three weekly instillations every three months.

BCG-Naïve Poster Presentation Details:

Title: ADVANCED-2 (Cohort A): Preliminary Efficacy and Safety Data In BCG-Naïve Participants with High-Grade Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
Session: Bladder Cancer: Non-invasive I
Presenter: Mark Tyson, M.D., MPH, Vice Chair for Research and a Professor in the Department of Urology with the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona
Session Date and Time: Friday, May 15, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
BCG-Unresponsive Encore Poster Presentation Details:

Title: ADVANCED-2 (Cohort B): Interim Efficacy and Safety Data in BCG-Unresponsive Participants with High-Grade Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
Session: Bladder Cancer: Non-invasive II
Presenter: Timothy Clinton, M.D., Associate Surgeon with the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts
Session Date and Time: Friday, May 15, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
About TARA-002

TARA-002 is an investigational cell therapy in development for the treatment of NMIBC and of LMs, for which it has been granted Rare Pediatric Disease, Breakthrough and Fast Track designations by the FDA. TARA-002 is a first-in-class TLR2/NOD2 agonist and novel immunopotentiator derived from inactivated Streptococcus pyogenes with a mechanism of action that includes the activation of innate and adaptive immune pathways within the bladder wall. When TARA-002 is administered, it is hypothesized that innate and adaptive immune cells within the cyst or tumor are activated and produce a pro-inflammatory response with the release of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interferon (IFN)-gamma, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12. TARA-002 also directly kills tumor cells and triggers a host immune response by inducing immunogenic cell death, which further enhances the antitumor immune response.

TARA-002 was developed from the same master cell bank of genetically distinct group A Streptococcus pyogenes as OK-432, a broad immunopotentiator marketed as Picibanil in Japan by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Protara has successfully shown manufacturing comparability between TARA-002 and OK-432.

About Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC)

Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the United States, with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) representing approximately 80% of bladder cancer diagnoses, or approximately 65,000 patients in the U.S. each year. NMIBC is cancer found in the tissue that lines the inner surface of the bladder that has not spread into the bladder muscle.

(Press release, Protara Therapeutics, APR 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234664798])

On April 27, 2026 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (Nasdaq: ONCY) ("Oncolytics" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing pelareorep, an investigational, systemically delivered immunotherapy that has been shown to activate innate immune-sensing pathways, reported that a Type C meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has resulted in alignment on the design of a pivotal clinical study to support approval of pelareorep in patients with unresectable metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal ("SCAC").

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"We want to thank the FDA for its very clear guidance and helping us create an efficient pathway for pelareorep in a disease that is desperate for new treatments," said Jared Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of Oncolytics. "While a single-arm study was possible in this setting, following a productive discussion with the FDA and in consideration of recent regulatory decisions regarding similar studies, we have aligned on a randomized controlled trial designed to potentially support both accelerated approval and full approval within the same study. This approach directly addresses relevant and rigorous evidentiary standards while allowing for approval based on multiple endpoint assessments."

SCAC is a rare gastrointestinal malignancy affecting more than 10,000 patients annually in the United States. Patients whose disease progresses following first-line chemotherapy/checkpoint inhibitor treatment have no FDA-approved therapeutic options and limited National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommended treatments. In a recent study combining pelareorep with a checkpoint inhibitor in second-line and later SCAC, the combination achieved a median duration of response of 15.5 months versus 9.5 months and 12-month survival of 82% versus 45.7%, each measured against the current standard of care.1

"The post-first-line SCAC setting remains an area of significant unmet need," said Dr. Van Morris, Associate Professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. "Pelareorep provides a strong rationale for evaluation in this population, and the study design represents a thoughtful and appropriate approach to advancing new options for these patients."

The Company plans to incorporate FDA feedback into the final protocol, which is expected to be a single, randomized controlled trial for which accelerated approval and full approval could be applied at different points in time.

(Press release, Oncolytics Biotech, APR 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234664796])

On April 27, 2026 Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Terns" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: TERN), a clinical-stage oncology company, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to TERN-701, a novel, oral allosteric BCR::ABL1 inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with Ph+ CML in the chronic phase without the T315I mutation previously treated with two or more TKIs.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"There remains an urgent need for CML treatments that offer improved efficacy, safety, and tolerability over current therapies," said Scott Harris, chief development and operations officer at Terns. "This designation from the FDA supports the significant potential of TERN-701 to be a best-in-disease therapy for CML patients and offer substantial improvement based on the faster, deeper responses compared to prior TKIs and encouraging safety and tolerability profile observed to date."

"This Breakthrough Therapy Designation, along with the recent agreement for Merck to acquire Terns, has the potential to accelerate efforts to advance TERN-701 to a pivotal trial and to patients," said Amy Burroughs, chief executive officer of Terns. "This is an exciting time for everyone involved in the TERN-701 program. We are grateful to the investigators, patients and community advocates whose dedication and support have made these advancements possible."

Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) is intended to expedite the development and review of potential new medicines designed to treat serious conditions or address significant unmet medical needs. Based on FDA guidelines, the medicine needs to have shown encouraging preliminary clinical evidence that demonstrates potential for substantial improvement over available medicines.

TERN-701 BTD is based on data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 CARDINAL clinical trial of TERN-701 in patients with CML previously treated with at least one prior TKI and who experienced treatment failure, suboptimal response or treatment intolerance. TERN-701 has shown promising activity, with encouraging rates of major molecular response and deep molecular response observed at week 24. Importantly, this includes responses in patients with high baseline disease burden who previously received multiple lines of therapy, including many who were treated with an allosteric TKI. The majority of treatment-emergent adverse events were reported as low grade with a low incidence of severe adverse events and discontinuations.

(Press release, Terns Pharmaceuticals, APR 27, 2026, View Source [SID1234664795])