On June 3, 2026 Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE: RCUS), a clinical-stage, global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing differentiated molecules and combination therapies for people with cancer and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, reported a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY, "BMS"). Under the agreement, Arcus will supply casdatifan, the company’s investigational small-molecule HIF-2a inhibitor, to be evaluated as part of the BMS-sponsored Phase 1/2 ROSETTA RCC-208 clinical trial. This trial evaluates pumitamig (BNT327/BMS986545), an investigational PD-L1/VEGF-A bispecific antibody, being jointly developed by BioNTech and Bristol Myers Squibb, alone or in combination with other potential treatment options in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
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As part of this clinical trial collaboration, casdatifan combinations will be added as two new arms of ROSETTA RCC-208. Each company will retain development and commercial rights to their respective assets, and the agreement is mutually non-exclusive.
"We believe casdatifan can transform the treatment paradigm in kidney cancer, and our development strategy is designed to generate evidence needed to establish casdatifan as a backbone therapy so that every patient has the opportunity to benefit from casdatifan across each line of therapy," said Terry Rosen, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Arcus. "HIF-2a inhibition, PD-L1 and VEGF-A blockade are validated mechanisms in the treatment of kidney cancer with a strong biologic rationale for combination. This strategic collaboration with BMS is a top priority for Arcus in order to potentially deliver an additional effective TKI-free option in the first-line setting."
This collaboration is part of Arcus’s holistic development strategy that is intended to provide physicians and patients with: 1) a casdatifan-based and only HIF-2a inhibitor-inclusive TKI-sparing first-line treatment; 2) a casdatifan-based TKI-inclusive first-line regimen; 3) a second-line HIF-2a inhibitor treatment that builds on the second-line standard-of-care TKI, cabozantinib; and 4) a late-line therapy that has been clinically validated to also provide benefit in patients previously treated with a HIF-2a inhibitor-based therapy.
About Casdatifan (AB521)
Casdatifan is a small-molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF-2a), a master switch that turns on hundreds of genes in response to low oxygen levels. In a majority of people with the most common form of kidney cancer (clear cell renal cell carcinoma; ccRCC), genetic anomalies result in the dysregulation of this master switch and transformation of normal kidney cells into cancerous ones.
Casdatifan was designed to provide deep and durable inhibition of the HIF-2a pathway. Early clinical studies have shown high response rates and a low primary progression rate relative to clinical benchmarks, warranting further investigation in late-stage studies. Casdatifan, which is administered in pill form once daily, has a safety profile that allows it to be investigated in combination with other treatments.
The casdatifan development strategy is designed to generate evidence needed to establish casdatifan as a backbone therapy so that every ccRCC patient has the opportunity to benefit from casdatifan across each line of therapy. In addition to partner-operationalized studies, Arcus is investigating casdatifan across multiple cohorts in the ARC-20 platform study, alone and in combination with other potential new treatment options, including in the:
First-line setting with cohorts evaluating casdatifan plus zimberelimab, an anti-PD-1 (ongoing); and casdatifan plus zimberelimab and ipilimumab, an anti-CTLA-4 (ongoing)
Second-line setting with a cohort evaluating casdatifan plus cabozantinib in immunotherapy (IO)-experienced patients (ongoing)
Late-line setting with a cohort evaluating casdatifan plus a TKI in both HIF-2a inhibitor-experienced and HIF-2a inhibitor-naive patients (planned)
Arcus is also enrolling patients for PEAK-1, the global Phase 3 study evaluating casdatifan plus cabozantinib versus cabozantinib in IO-experienced metastatic ccRCC. Arcus expects to complete enrollment in PEAK-1 and to initiate a Phase 3 study in first-line metastatic ccRCC by year-end 2026.
Casdatifan is an investigational molecule. Approval from any regulatory authority for its use has not been received, and its safety and efficacy have not been established. Taiho has development and commercial rights in Japan and other countries in Asia, excluding China. Arcus Biosciences holds full rights to casdatifan everywhere else globally.
About Pumitamig (BNT327/BMS986545)
Pumitamig is a novel investigational bispecific antibody, jointly developed by BioNTech and BMS, combining two complementary, validated mechanisms in oncology into one single molecule. Pumitamig combines PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition aimed at restoring T cells’ ability to recognize and destroy tumor cells with the neutralization of VEGF-A. BioNTech and BMS are currently advancing pumitamig in a broad clinical trial program with more than 20 clinical trials currently ongoing or planned to evaluate pumitamig either as a monotherapy or in combination with other treatment modalities targeting different oncogenic pathways in more than 10 solid tumor indications.
About Kidney Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, kidney cancer is among the top 10 most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer among both men and women in the U.S., and an estimated 80,450 Americans will be diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2026. ccRCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. If detected in its early stages, the five-year survival rate for kidney cancer is high; for patients with advanced or late-stage metastatic kidney cancer, however, the five-year survival rate is only 19%. For metastatic kidney cancer, targeted drug therapies are one of the main treatment options.
(Press release, Arcus Biosciences, JUN 3, 2026, View Source [SID1234666423])