On April 14, 2026 Er-Kim, an international pharmaceutical company specializing in the commercialization of novel therapies in the EMEA region, reported that it has signed an exclusive agreement with LEO Pharma A/S to commercialize LOQTORZI (toripalimab) in select regions in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

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Under the terms of the agreement, Er-Kim will serve as the exclusive commercial partner for LOQTORZI in the following markets: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

This PD-1 inhibitor is an intravenous immunotherapy that harnesses the body’s immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. In the European Union, the treatment is indicated for two distinct, hard-to-treat malignancies:

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC): A rare and aggressive cancer of the head and neck. The therapy is used in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine for adults with recurrent (non-resectable) or metastatic NPC as a first-line option, or as a monotherapy for those who have previously undergone chemotherapy.
Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC): For patients with advanced, recurrent, or metastatic OSCC that cannot be removed by surgery. In these cases, it is used in combination with cisplatin and paclitaxel.
Cem Zorlular, Chief Executive Officer of Er-Kim, said, "Advancements in immunotherapy are fundamentally changing the outlook for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, but innovation only matters when it reaches the people who need it. By leveraging our deep infrastructure and relationships in Central and Eastern Europe, we are pleased to partner with LEO Pharma to bridge this access gap and bring LOQTORZI to oncology patients throughout the CEE region."

"We are committed to advancing cancer care by making innovative treatments available to this vulnerable group of patients who face limited options. Er‑Kim’s regional knowledge makes them a strong partner to bring LOQTORZI to new markets in Central and Eastern Europe," said Jean Monin, Executive Vice President of the Critical Care Business Unit at LEO Pharma A/S. "Together, we can make a difference for the patients and healthcare professionals we serve."

In 2025, LEO Pharma A/S was granted exclusive distribution and sales rights for LOQTORZI in the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), as well as Switzerland and the United Kingdom, while TopAlliance Biosciences remains the Marketing Authorisation Holder (MAH).

(Press release, Erkim Pharmaceuticals, APR 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234664387])

On April 14, 2026 Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: GLMD) ("Galmed" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company for liver disease and GI oncological therapeutics, reported a research collaboration agreement with Ramot at Tel Aviv University – Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company – to evaluate Galmed’s brain-penetrating SCD1 inhibitor, Aramchol, as a targeted therapy for metastatic brain cancer. By combining the genomic expertise of the Ben-David Lab with the advanced 3D in vitro and in vivo modeling capabilities of the Satchi-Fainaro Lab (both TAU internationally renowned research labs), Galmed aims to validate Aramchol’s efficacy in treating p53-deficient brain metastases. The findings from the new research would also support Galmed’s clinical work underway at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center in colorectal cancers, where p53 mutations are highly prevalent.

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The published research by Prof. Ben-David and Prof. Satchi-Fainaro demonstrated that the loss of p53 induces profound metabolic adaptations of the tumor, facilitating metastatic colonization in the lipid-rich brain microenvironment. SCD1, an enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids into monounsaturated fatty acids, is essential for lipid synthesis and membrane production in proliferating cancer cells. Owing to SCD1 upregulation in p53-deficient tumors, its downregulation by Aramchol could potentially treat the metabolic-dependent brain tumor, as confirmed in preclinical models.

Allen Baharaff, Galmed’s Co-founder and CEO commented: "p53 is widely known as the ‘guardian of the genome’, playing a critical role in maintaining cellular integrity, with its mutations often leading to cancer and metastases. The findings that p53 inactivation drives metastasis to the brain through SCD1 upregulation and increased fatty acid metabolism open up a promising and innovative therapeutic option for Aramchol in metastatic cancers. Today’s announced collaboration with the esteemed researchers at TAU maps a potential development path for Aramchol as a novel and effective therapeutic solution for one of the most challenging clinical conditions."

Prof. Uri Ben-David commented: "A major hurdle in treating brain metastases is understanding how cancer cells adapt to survive in the brain’s unique environment. We recently established that p53 inactivation drives this adaptation through SCD1 upregulation and altered fatty acid metabolism. Collaborating with Galmed enables us to apply Aramchol against SCD1-expressing brain metastases, taking a critical step toward an innovative therapeutic solution for metastatic brain cancer."

Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro commented:" I am very enthusiastic about this collaboration with Galmed Pharmaceuticals to evaluate Aramchol in our advanced preclinical systems. Following our recent findings published in Nature Genetics on the role of p53 and SCD1 in breast cancer brain metastasis, this partnership represents a valuable opportunity to translate mechanistic insights into therapeutic strategies. Our 3D tumor models and spontaneous brain metastasis models closely recapitulate tumor complexity and metastatic progression in the clinical setting, providing a robust, predictive platform to assess Aramchol’s efficacy and mechanism of action. I believe these models can significantly strengthen the preclinical validation of the drug and support its development in this challenging clinical setting".

The collaboration is managed by Ramot, Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company. Ramot is dedicated to bringing the groundbreaking research of Prof. Uri Ben-David and Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro to the clinic. Their work on the metabolic vulnerabilities of p53-deficient tumors represents a transformative approach to treating metastatic brain cancer, offering a new path for patients with high unmet needs.

(Press release, Galmed Pharmaceuticals, APR 14, 2026, View Source,-Aramchol,-as-a-Targeted-Therapy-for-Metastatic-Brain-Cancers [SID1234664355])

On April 14, 2026 Brenus Pharma reported that new first‑in‑human data will be presented at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026 (April 17–22, San Diego, California). The company continues to advance its lead candidate, STC-1010, a next generation in vivo allogeneic immunotherapy built on the Stimulated Ghost Cells (SGC) technology.

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The poster will provide a translational overview demonstrating how STC-1010 is administrated in microsatellite‑stable colorectal cancer (MSS CRC), a setting resistant to standards immunotherapy.

Clinical findings from BreAK CRC001 (NCT06934538), Phase I/IIa first‑in‑human evaluation of STC‑1010 in unresectable metastatic MSS CRC, first-line setting (n=6; median follow‑up: 6 months) show :

Favorable safety with no dose‑limiting toxicities (DLTs) observed.
Promising early efficacy, including 100% disease control rate (DCR) in RECIST.
Evidence of immune activation, including delayed‑type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses.
Exploratory analyses are ongoing to further characterize tumor–immune dynamics and identify predictive biomarkers supporting subsequent stages of clinical development.

Together, these results support continued advancement of STC‑1010 toward later‑stage evaluation and validate the SGC technology as a scalable, "off-the-shelf" approach for high unmet-need solid tumors.

Poster Details

Poster Title: "From preclinical models to first‑in‑human evaluation of STC‑1010 immunotherapy in unresectable advanced colorectal cancer"
Session: First‑in‑Human Phase I Clinical Trials
Date & Time: April 20, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Poster Section 50
Poster Board Number: 11
Abstract Number: CT051

(Press release, Brenus Pharma, APR 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234664372])

On April 14, 2026 EvolveImmune Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing a new class of multi-specific T cell engagers with integrated CD2 costimulation, reported that new data highlighting its novel EVOLVE T cell engager platform will be presented at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. The conference is being held April 17-22, 2026, in San Diego, California.

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Details of the company’s presentations at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) conference are as follows:

Oral Minisymposium Presentation #4055:

Title: Integrated CD2-costimulation on CD3 T cell engager EVOLVE platform yields differentiated and superior T cell effector profile
Presenting Author: Emma Stewart, Ph.D., EvolveImmune Therapeutics
Session Title: Advances in Therapeutic Antibodies
Session Date/Time: Monday, April 20, 2026, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. PT
Location: Ballroom 20 CD – Upper Level – Convention Center
Poster Presentation #CT079:

Title: EIU-104101: A first-in-human phase 1a/1b study of EVOLVE104, a trispecific CD3×CD2×ULBP2/5/6 T cell engager, in advanced urothelial and squamous cell carcinomas
Presenting Author: Tony Fiorino, M.D., Ph.D., EvolveImmune Therapeutics
Session Title: Phase I Clinical Trials in Progress
Session Date/Time: Monday, April 20, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PT
Location: Poster Section 51; Poster Board #10
Poster Presentation #5594:

Title: Pharmacological integration of CD3 and CD2 signaling triggers formation of a CD2 corolla that boosts T cell activation
Presenting Author: Sergio Trombetta, Ph.D., EvolveImmune Therapeutics
Session Title: T Cell Engagers 2/Antibody-Drug Conjugates 1
Session Date/Time: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. PT
Location: Poster Section 8; Poster Board #13
About EVOLVE104
EVOLVE104 is a next-generation trispecific T cell engager that binds CD3 and CD2 on T cells and the tumor-associated antigens ULBP2/5/6, which have limited expression in normal human tissues and are found on a number of epithelial-derived malignancies, including urothelial carcinoma and a broad array of squamous cell carcinomas. In preclinical studies, EVOLVE104 has demonstrated compelling single-agent activity and combination activity with anti-PD-1 therapy, the ability to reinvigorate dysfunctional T cells, and a promising safety profile. EVOLVE104 is currently being studied in a first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial in subjects with advanced, relapsed or refractory solid tumors (NCT07217171).

(Press release, EvolveImmune Therapeutics, APR 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234664388])

On April 17, 2026 Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) reported that worldwide net trade sales of DARZALEX (daratumumab), including sales of the subcutaneous (SC) product (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj, sold under the tradename DARZALEX FASPRO in the U.S.), as reported by J&J were USD 3,964 million in the first quarter of 2026. Net trade sales were USD 2,208 million in the U.S. and USD 1,756 million in the rest of the world. Genmab receives royalties on the worldwide net sales of DARZALEX, both the intravenous and SC products, under the exclusive worldwide license to J&J to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab.

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(Press release, Genmab, APR 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234664356])