On January 20, 2026 Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY, "BMS"), a global leader in oncology, reported an agreement with Microsoft, a market leader in AI-powered radiology and clinical workflow technologies, aiming to accelerate early detection of lung cancer.

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!

Through this digital health collaboration, U.S. FDA-cleared radiology AI algorithms will be deployed via Microsoft’s Precision Imaging Network, part of Microsoft for Healthcare radiology solutions. Today, more than 80% of hospitals in the U.S. use Microsoft’s award-winning network to share medical imaging and access third-party imaging AI. AI capabilities available through Precision Imaging Network can automatically analyze X-ray and CT images to help identify lung disease, supporting radiologists in their daily workflow and helping reduce clinical workload. These advanced AI algorithms can help surface hard to detect lung nodules, potentially identify patients at earlier stages of lung cancer, and help triage them for appropriate care.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with approximately 125,000 deaths and 227,000 new cases reported annually. Medically underserved populations experience even higher lung cancer mortality rates and are less likely to receive guideline-concordant screening. With more than half of the patients with incidental findings lost to follow-up, the collaboration leverages workflow management tools to track patients with lung nodules through care pathways and help ensure regular follow-up.

"By combining Microsoft’s highly scalable radiology solutions with BMS’ deep expertise in oncology and drug delivery, we’ve envisioned a unique AI-enabled workflow that helps clinicians quickly and accurately identify patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and guide them to optimal care pathways and precision therapies," said Dr. Alexandra Goncalves, VP and Head of Digital Health, Bristol Myers Squibb. "An integrated, AI-powered platform that streamlines patient flow can significantly improve operational efficiency and patient outcomes."

A core objective of the collaboration is to expand access to early detection in medically underserved communities, including rural hospitals and community clinics across the United States. By harnessing advanced AI tools, especially in resource-limited settings, this initiative promotes earlier diagnosis and follow-up, enabling more equitable care for all patients.

"This new Microsoft collaboration reflects our commitment to breaking down barriers and addressing healthcare challenges," said Andrew Whitehead, VP and Head of Population Health, Bristol Myers Squibb. "At BMS, health equity is not a standalone initiative—it is embedded in everything we do. By deploying this solution and bringing advanced AI tools to the front lines, together we will help to address health disparities in lung cancer."

The early detection strategy for lung cancer directly supports BMS’ commitment to health equity and its focus on scalable, sustainable solutions to improve patient outcomes.

"With Microsoft’s AI-powered radiology technology platform widely deployed within healthcare delivery organizations across the country and operating behind the scenes, clinicians can more easily identify patients who may be showing early signs of cancer—often before they are aware of any symptoms—and help guide them into the appropriate care pathway sooner," said Peter Durlach, Corporate Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Microsoft Health and Life Sciences. "This is a clear win for both patients and providers and aligns with Microsoft’s goals to utilize technology to unlock insights, increase efficiencies, and improve patient care."

(Press release, Bristol-Myers Squibb, JAN 20, 2026, View Source [SID1234662088])

On January 19, 2026 Jecho (Tianjin) Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Jecho Bio") reported that its independently developed innovative drug, JLM019, has successfully completed dosing of the first subject in a clinical trial for advanced malignant tumors at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

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!

JLM019 is a CD80/PD-1 dual-target Fc fusion protein with a unique bidirectional synergistic mechanism. With its precise targeting design, the drug is expected to overcome the limitations of existing immunotherapies, improve immunotherapy response rates, and delay the development of tumor cell resistance. As a result, it has the potential to significantly enhance immunotherapy and provide new treatment options and hope for survival for patients with advanced solid tumors and lymphomas.

This study is led by Professors Ba Yi and Han Xiaohong of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The Phase 1 study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of JLM019 injection in patients with advanced malignancies.

Jecho Bio remains committed to the development of innovative therapies to address unmet clinical needs and to promote the advancement of the biopharmaceutical industry. The company also looks forward to working closely with partners across the industry to accelerate the translation of innovative therapies into clinical practice and to jointly shape the future of the field.

(Press release, Jecho Laboratories, JAN 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234662130])

On January 19, 2026 The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported that it has validated the Type II Variation marketing authorization application for ENHERTU (trastuzumab deruxtecan) in combination with pertuzumab for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive breast cancer.

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!

ENHERTU is a specifically engineered HER2 directed DXd antibody drug conjugate (ADC) discovered by Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) and being jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN).

The validation confirms the completion of the application and commences the scientific review process by the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP). The application is based on data from the DESTINY-Breast09 phase 3 trial presented during a special late-breaking oral session at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) (#ASCO25) Annual Meeting and subsequently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. In the trial, ENHERTU in combination with pertuzumab demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared to taxane, trastuzumab and pertuzumab (THP) as a first-line treatment for patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer.

"This validation in the EU is an important step in moving us closer to offering ENHERTU in combination with pertuzumab as a potential new first-line treatment option for patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer," said Ken Takeshita, MD, Global Head, R&D, Daiichi Sankyo. "Following the recent approval in the U.S. for this indication, we look forward to working closely with the EMA to bring ENHERTU to eligible patients in the EU who may benefit from improved outcomes in a setting where the standard of care has not changed in more than a decade."

About DESTINY-Breast09
DESTINY-Breast09 is a global, multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) either alone or in combination with pertuzumab versus standard of care THP as first-line treatment in patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer.

Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to receive either ENHERTU monotherapy with a pertuzumab matching placebo; ENHERTU in combination with pertuzumab; or THP. Randomization was stratified by prior treatment (de novo metastatic disease versus progression from early-stage disease), hormone receptor (HR) status and PIK3CA mutation status.

The primary endpoint of DESTINY-Breast09 is PFS as assessed by blinded independent central review in both the ENHERTU monotherapy and ENHERTU combination arms. Secondary endpoints include investigator-assessed PFS, overall survival, objective response rate, duration of response, pharmacokinetics and safety. The investigational arm assessing ENHERTU monotherapy versus THP remains blinded to patients and investigators and will continue to the final PFS analysis.

DESTINY-Breast09 enrolled 1,157 patients across multiple sites in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. For more information about the trial, visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

About HER2 Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide.1 More than two million breast cancer cases were diagnosed in 2022, with more than 665,000 deaths globally.1 In Europe, approximately 557,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed annually, with more than 144,000 deaths.1 While survival rates are high for those diagnosed with early breast cancer, only about 30% of patients diagnosed with or that have progressed to metastatic disease are expected to live five years following diagnosis.2

HER2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor growth-promoting protein expressed on the surface of many types of tumors including breast cancer.3 HER2 protein overexpression may occur as a result of HER2 gene amplification.3 Approximately one in five cases of breast cancer are considered HER2 positive.4

HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer is an aggressive disease driven by overexpression or amplification of HER2 that affects 15% to 20% of patients with metastatic breast cancer.4 While HER2 targeted therapies have improved outcomes, prognosis remains poor with most patients experiencing disease progression within two years of first-line treatment with THP, which has been the standard of care for more than a decade.5,6,7 Further, approximately one in three patients do not receive any treatment following first-line therapy due to disease progression or death.8,9

About ENHERTU
ENHERTU (trastuzumab deruxtecan; fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki in the U.S. only) is a HER2 directed ADC. Designed using Daiichi Sankyo’s proprietary DXd ADC Technology, ENHERTU is the lead ADC in the oncology portfolio of Daiichi Sankyo and the most advanced program in AstraZeneca’s ADC scientific platform. ENHERTU consists of a HER2 monoclonal antibody attached to a number of topoisomerase I inhibitor payloads (an exatecan derivative, DXd) via tetrapeptide-based cleavable linkers.

ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) in combination with pertuzumab is approved in the U.S. as a first-line treatment for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 3+ or in-situ hybridization [ISH]+) breast cancer, as determined by an FDA-approved test, based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast09 trial.

ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) is approved in more than 90 countries/regions worldwide for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive (IHC 3+ or ISH+) breast cancer who have received a prior anti-HER2-based regimen, either in the metastatic setting or in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting, and have developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing therapy based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast03 trial.

ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) is approved in more than 90 countries/regions worldwide for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 low (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-) breast cancer who have received a prior systemic therapy in the metastatic setting or developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing adjuvant chemotherapy based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast04 trial.

ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) is approved in more than 60 countries/regions worldwide for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2 low (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ ISH-) or HER2 ultralow (IHC 0 with membrane staining) breast cancer, as determined by a locally or regionally approved test, that have progressed on one or more endocrine therapies in the metastatic setting based on the results from the DESTINY-Breast06 trial.

ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) is approved in more than 70 countries/regions worldwide for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic NSCLC whose tumors have activating HER2 (ERBB2) mutations, as detected by a locally or regionally approved test, and who have received a prior systemic therapy based on the results from the DESTINY-Lung02 and/or DESTINY-Lung05 trials. Continued approval in China and the U.S. for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

ENHERTU (6.4 mg/kg) is approved in more than 80 countries/regions worldwide for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2 positive (IHC 3+ or IHC 2+/ISH+) gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma who have received a prior trastuzumab-based regimen based on the results from the DESTINY-Gastric01, DESTINY-Gastric02, DESTINY-Gastric04 and/or DESTINY-Gastric06 trials. Continued approval in China for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

ENHERTU (5.4 mg/kg) is approved in more than 10 countries/regions worldwide for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive (IHC 3+) solid tumors who have received prior systemic treatment and have no satisfactory alternative treatment options based on efficacy results from the DESTINY-PanTumor02, DESTINY-Lung01 and DESTINY-CRC02 trials. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

About the ENHERTU Clinical Development Program
A comprehensive global clinical development program is underway evaluating the efficacy and safety of ENHERTU as a monotherapy or in combination or sequentially with other cancer medicines across multiple HER2 targetable cancers.

(Press release, Daiichi Sankyo, JAN 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234662087])

On January 19, 2026 Guardant Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GH), a leading precision oncology company, reported a multi-year collaboration with Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, to support the development and commercialization of Merck’s oncology portfolio using the Guardant Infinity Smart platform.

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!

Under the multi-year collaboration agreement, Guardant and Merck aim to:

Use Guardant’s portfolio of liquid and tissue biopsy tests as clinical trial enrolling assays in Merck’s global clinical studies,
Evaluate opportunities to develop novel therapies using Guardant liquid biopsy tests as a companion diagnostic, and
Partner for global commercialization of drugs and companion diagnostics including in US, Asia-Pacific, UK and EU markets.
"This strategic collaboration allows us to bring the power of the Infinity Smart platform to some of the most important oncology programs in development today," said Helmy Eltoukhy, Guardant Health chairman and co-CEO. "As biomarkers become more central to therapy selection, our goal is to ensure that every trial has the molecular clarity needed to reach the right patients. This collaboration strengthens our shared commitment to rigor, scale, and faster development of life-changing cancer therapies."

(Press release, Guardant Health, JAN 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234662086])

On January 18, 2026 AbelZeta Pharma, Inc. ("AbelZeta"), a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative and proprietary cell-based therapeutic products, reported that AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire AbelZeta’s 50% share of the China development and commercialization rights to C-CAR031, such that AstraZeneca acquires the sole right to develop, manufacture and commercialize C-CAR031 globally. Under the terms of the agreement, AbelZeta will be entitled to receive up to $630 million from AstraZeneca including an upfront payment, and development, regulatory and sales milestone payments for the GPC3 program in China.

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!

Under the terms of a prior agreement with AbelZeta, AstraZeneca owns the development, manufacturing and commercialization rights to C-CAR031 in rest of world, outside of China. AbelZeta is also eligible to receive additional milestone payments and royalties for rest of world development.

"This transaction reflects our commitment to leverage our platform technology to develop novel cell therapies in solid tumors of high unmet medical need, including Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and provides the opportunity to maximize C-CAR031’s global reach" said Tony (Bizuo) Liu, Chairman and CEO of AbelZeta.

C-CAR031 is an autologous, Glypican 3 (GPC3)-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T-Cell (CAR-T) therapy, designed using AstraZeneca’s dominant negative transforming growth factor-beta receptor II armoring platform, and is currently being investigated for the treatment of HCC and other solid tumors.

About HCC
Liver cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death and the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. Several types of primary liver cancer occur in adults, HCC being the most common form. About 75% of all primary liver cancers in adults are HCC. Liver cancers are categorized based on the originating cell type. HCC begins in the liver as either a single tumor or several small nodules and at this local stage, it can be treated by locally targeted or surgical methods. However, most patients are diagnosed at advanced-stage, or their disease progresses to advanced-stage HCC when the prognosis is poor, with a 5-year survival rate of only 7% and a median survival of approximately 20 months. According to Frost & Sullivan, the incidence of HCC in China has been growing steadily to approximately 344,500 cases in 2024.

(Press release, AbelZeta, JAN 18, 2026, View Source [SID1234662082])