On May 19, 2026 Cullinan Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CGEM), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company accelerating potential first- or best-in-class, high-impact therapies in autoimmune diseases and cancer, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to CLN-049, a novel, investigational FLT3xCD3 T cell engager, for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

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"FDA Orphan Drug Designation for CLN-049 emphasizes both the urgent need for new therapies for people living with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia – including patients with TP53-mutated AML who currently face a particularly poor prognosis – and the potential of this FLT3-directed T cell engager to expand treatment options across the broadest population of AML patients," said Jeffrey Jones, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Cullinan Therapeutics. "Coupled with promising results from our ongoing Phase 1 program, this designation by the FDA reinforces a shared goal to rapidly advance novel therapies for patients living with AML."

About Orphan Drug Designation

The U.S. FDA’s Orphan Drug Designation provides orphan status to drugs and biologics intended to prevent, diagnose, or treat rare diseases or conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. Orphan Drug Designation qualifies sponsors for certain development incentives, including tax credits for qualified clinical trials, exemption from certain FDA user fees, and the potential for seven years of market exclusivity in the United States following marketing approval.

About CLN-049

CLN-049 is a novel, investigational FLT3xCD3 T cell engager. CLN-049 is designed to target FLT3-expressing leukemia cells, offering a new immunotherapeutic approach for treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). CLN-049 binds to both mutated and non-mutated FLT3, enabling targeted action regardless of FLT3 mutational status, making the investigational treatment widely applicable to a broad population.

CLN-049 is being studied in a Phase 1, open-label, multicenter, first-in-human, multiple ascending dose study evaluating safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and preliminary efficacy of intravenously (IV) administered CLN-049 in patients with relapsed/refractory AML or MDS (NCT05143996) and in a parallel Phase 1, open-label, dose escalation and dose expansion study for the treatment of patients with AML with measurable residual disease (MRD) (EUCT 2023-506572-27-00).

CLN-049 has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsed/refractory AML.

About Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, and the most common form of acute leukemia in adults.1,2 It is characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that crowd out healthy cells, leading to infections, fatigue, and bleeding.3 Each year in the U.S., approximately 22,000 people are diagnosed with AML, and about half as many lives are lost to the disease.4 Globally, AML affects an estimated 144,000 people annually, with approximately 130,000 deaths.5

Despite recent advances, outcomes for patients with AML remain poor, particularly for those with relapsed or refractory disease, where five-year survival is 10% or less.4,6 Patients with high-risk genetic features, such as complex karyotype or TP53 mutations, face especially limited options.7,8 Intensive treatments like chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation may be inaccessible for many older patients due to severe side effects.8 Currently, there are no approved immunotherapies for AML, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches that can improve outcomes for patients and their families facing this life-threatening disease.

(Press release, Cullinan Oncology, MAY 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234665882])

On May 19, 2026 Amplia Therapeutics Limited (ASX:ATX; OTCQB:INNMF), ("Amplia" or the "Company"), reported that it is initiating a Phase 2b study of narmafotinib in pancreatic cancer exploring a new dosing regimen. Designed in alignment with FDA feedback, the study will form the basis – and first stage – of a registrational study in this indication given the high existing unmet need for innovative treatments. Narmafotinib is a best-in-class FAK inhibitor that has received orphan drug designation and fast track designation from the U.S. FDA as a potential treatment in pancreatic cancer.

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To-date narmafotinib has shown no significant tolerability burden over chemotherapy alone, and we have observed a range of compelling efficacy signals across responses and survival. This has been achieved with only an intermittent dosing schedule, giving us confidence that moving into daily dosing may further enhance the therapeutic potential of narmafotinib", said Dr Chris Burns, CEO and Managing Director of Amplia. "We have been able to accelerate this phase of the narmafotinib program with redeployed resources, including drug product, following the wind-down of recruitment in the AMPLICITY trial. We believe our registrational study submission to the FDA will be stronger for the inclusion of this portion of the Phase 2b study and we look forward to further engagement with regulators."

The study will investigate, for the first time, a daily dosing schedule for narmafotinib, at two dosing levels, with the chemotherapies gemcitabine and Abraxane in newly diagnosed advanced pancreatic cancer patients. In this first stage, each dosing cohort will have 6 patients (12 patients in total), which will be combined with gemcitabine and Abraxane given on their conventional schedule. In addition to safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy will be assessed. Exploratory endpoints will include effects on disease biomarkers as well as effects on fibrosis, a key indicator of FAK activity. The study will enrol patients across 3-4 sites in Australia. The Company anticipates patient enrolment will begin by the fourth quarter of this year with the safety, tolerability and PK assessment for the 12 patients completed in the second quarter of 2027.

(Press release, Amplia Therapeutics, MAY 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234665832])

On May 19, 2026 Veracyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: VCYT) reported that the company will be participating in the following investor conferences.

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William Blair 46th Annual Growth Stock Conference – Chicago, IL
Presentation on Tuesday, June 2nd at 2:00 p.m. Central Time
2026 Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference – New York, NY
Fireside chat on Thursday, June 4th at 8:10 a.m. Eastern Time

Live audio webcasts of the company’s presentations will be available by visiting Veracyte’s website at View Source Replays of the webcasts will be available for 90 days after each live presentation broadcast.

(Press release, Veracyte, MAY 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234665866])

On May 19, 2026 Amplia Therapeutics Limited (ASX:ATX; OTCQB:INNMF), ("Amplia" or the "Company"), reported that it is initiating a Phase 2b study of narmafotinib in pancreatic cancer exploring a new dosing regimen. Designed in alignment with FDA feedback, the study will form the basis – and first stage – of a registrational study in this indication given the high existing unmet need for innovative treatments. Narmafotinib is a best-in-class FAK inhibitor that has received orphan drug designation and fast track designation from the U.S. FDA as a potential treatment in pancreatic cancer.

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"To-date narmafotinib has shown no significant tolerability burden over chemotherapy alone, and we have observed a range of compelling efficacy signals across responses and survival. This has been achieved with only an intermittent dosing schedule, giving us confidence that moving into daily dosing may further enhance the therapeutic potential of narmafotinib", said Dr Chris Burns, CEO and Managing Director of Amplia. "We have been able to accelerate this phase of the narmafotinib program with redeployed resources, including drug product, following the wind-down of recruitment in the AMPLICITY trial. We believe our registrational study submission to the FDA will be stronger for the inclusion of this portion of the Phase 2b study and we look forward to further engagement with regulators."

The study will investigate, for the first time, a daily dosing schedule for narmafotinib, at two dosing levels, with the chemotherapies gemcitabine and Abraxane in newly diagnosed advanced pancreatic cancer patients. In this first stage, each dosing cohort will have 6 patients (12 patients in total), which will be combined with gemcitabine and Abraxane given on their conventional schedule. In addition to safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy will be assessed. Exploratory endpoints will include effects on disease biomarkers as well as effects on fibrosis, a key indicator of FAK activity. The study will enroll patients across 3-4 sites in Australia. The Company anticipates patient enrolment will begin by the fourth quarter of this year with the safety, tolerability and PK assessment for the 12 patients completed in the second quarter of 2027.

(Press release, Amplia Therapeutics, MAY 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234665883])

On May 19, 2026 Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) reported that the company has entered into a clinical development collaboration with Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, to supply KEYTRUDA QLEX (pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph) injection for subcutaneous administration in combination with zanzalintinib in STELLAR-316, a planned phase 3 pivotal trial in patients with resected stage II/III colorectal cancer (CRC). Under the terms of the clinical development collaboration with Merck, Exelixis is sponsoring the STELLAR-316 pivotal trial, and Merck will supply KEYTRUDA QLEX.

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"This collaboration with Merck for the STELLAR-316 trial reflects the continued progress of the zanzalintinib clinical development program and is an important step forward in our efforts to advance a potentially new treatment option that may help prevent or delay metastatic progression for patients with resected colorectal cancer," said Dana T. Aftab, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Research and Development, Exelixis. "We look forward to initiating the clinical trial to evaluate this novel combination, with the goal of enhancing treatment strategies and meaningfully improving clinical outcomes for patients with this form of cancer who face a high risk of recurrence."

STELLAR-316 is a planned phase 3 pivotal trial that will evaluate zanzalintinib with and without KEYTRUDA QLEX in patients with resected stage II/III CRC who, following definitive therapy, have tested positive for molecular residual disease (MRD+) and have no radiographic evidence of disease. The primary endpoint of the trial will be disease-free survival, with key secondary endpoints including circulating tumor DNA clearance. In January 2026, Exelixis announced a collaboration with Natera, a global leader in cell-free DNA and precision medicine, for STELLAR-316. Natera will provide its Signatera assay to identify MRD+ patients for trial enrollment. Exelixis expects to initiate STELLAR-316 in mid-2026.

About CRC

CRC is the third most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.1 Approximately 159,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2026, with around 55,000 expected deaths from the disease.1 CRC is most frequently diagnosed among people aged 65-74 and is more common in men and in people of non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native descent.2 Nearly a quarter of CRC cases are diagnosed at the metastatic stage, at which point the five-year survival rate is around just 15%.1,2 The liver is the most common site for CRC metastasis. Liver metastases significantly impact survival, with a median five-year survival rate of less than 14% when treated with palliative chemotherapy.3

About Zanzalintinib

Zanzalintinib is a novel oral kinase inhibitor that inhibits the activity of the TAM kinases (TYRO3, AXL, MER), MET and VEGF receptors. These kinases play important roles in oncogenic processes, including tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis, drug resistance and evasion of antitumor immunity. The zanzalintinib development program includes a series of ongoing and planned pivotal trials to explore its therapeutic potential in CRC, clear cell and non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma, and neuroendocrine tumors, as well as earlier-stage trials in meningioma, lung cancer and castration-resistant prostate cancer.

In February 2026, Exelixis announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the company’s New Drug Application for zanzalintinib, in combination with atezolizumab (Tecentriq), for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic CRC who have been previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, and, if RAS wild-type, an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy. The FDA assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date of December 3, 2026.

Zanzalintinib is an investigational agent that is not approved for any use and is the subject of ongoing clinical trials.

(Press release, Exelixis, MAY 19, 2026, https://ir.exelixis.com/news-releases/news-release-details/exelixis-announces-clinical-development-collaboration-merck [SID1234665868])