On May 8, 2025 Nuvalent, Inc. (Nasdaq: NUVL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating precisely targeted therapies for clinically proven kinase targets in cancer, reported pipeline and business progress, reiterated key anticipated milestones, and announced first quarter 2025 financial results (Press release, Nuvalent, MAY 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234652755]).

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"2025 is a critical year of execution for Nuvalent as we continue to transition toward becoming a fully integrated commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company," said James Porter, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Nuvalent. "We expect multiple meaningful milestones this year, including pivotal data for TKI pre-treated patients from both of our parallel lead programs, and our first potential NDA submission for zidesamtinib for TKI pre-treated patients with ROS1-positive NSCLC."

Dr. Porter continued, "The continued progress across our portfolio is a direct reflection of the strength and dedication of our team—it is their deep expertise, operational excellence, and commitment to patients that drive our ability to execute. In recognition of their significant contributions, we’re pleased to announce the leadership promotions of Ruth Adams to Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations; Dr. Joshua Horan to Senior Vice President, Chemistry; and Jessie Lin to Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Portfolio Management. With strong product candidates, a solid financial position, and an experienced team unified by an unwavering commitment to patient impact, we believe we are well-positioned to achieve our goals."

Recent Pipeline and Business Highlights

ROS1 Program

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Evaluation of zidesamtinib, the company’s novel ROS1-selective inhibitor, is ongoing in the ARROS-1 Phase 1/2 trial for patients with advanced TKI-naïve and TKI pre-treated ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other solid tumors. The company expects to report pivotal data for TKI pre-treated patients with advanced ROS1-positive NSCLC in the first half of 2025 in support of an anticipated New Drug Application (NDA) submission by mid-year 2025.
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A manuscript reinforcing the rational molecular design of zidesamtinib as a novel ROS1-selective inhibitor was published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper), in conjunction with the presentation of new preclinical data at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) meeting detailing the first crystal structure of ROS1 G2032R in complex with zidesamtinib. The crystal structure further supports zidesamtinib’s molecular design and provides structural insights into how the ROS1 G2032R mutation affects TKI binding. The publication additionally explores the activity of zidesamtinib and other approved or investigational ROS1 TKIs at clinically relevant concentrations against ROS1 resistance mutations, including the most commonly occurring resistance mutation, ROS1 G2032R, in preclinical mutagenesis screens and an intracranial ROS1 G2032R xenograft model. Findings presented in the manuscript show that, at clinically relevant concentrations, zidesamtinib suppressed on-target resistance in ENU mutagenesis screens simulating first-line and later-line treatment and inhibited ROS1 G2032R brain tumors more effectively than the other ROS1 TKIs evaluated.
ALK Program

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Evaluation of neladalkib, its novel ALK-selective inhibitor, is ongoing in the ALKOVE-1 Phase 1/2 trial for patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC and other solid tumors. The company expects to report pivotal data for TKI pre-treated patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC and other solid tumors by year-end 2025.
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Nuvalent presented new preclinical data at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting demonstrating that neladalkib suppressed resistance in ENU mutagenesis screens simulating first-line and later-line treatment.
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The company plans to initiate the ALKAZAR Phase 3 trial, its front-line development strategy for the company’s ALK program, in the first half of 2025. The Phase 3 ALKAZAR trial will be a global, randomized, controlled trial designed to evaluate neladalkib versus the current standard of care for the treatment of patients with TKI-naïve ALK-positive NSCLC. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive neladalkib monotherapy or ALECENSA (alectinib) monotherapy. The company will present a "Trial in Progress" poster including background and study design for ALKAZAR at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.
HER2 Program

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Enrollment is ongoing in the HEROEX-1 Phase 1a/1b trial evaluating the overall safety and tolerability of NVL-330, the company’s novel HER2-selective inhibitor, for pre-treated patients with HER2-altered NSCLC. Additional objectives include determination of the recommended Phase 2 dose, characterization of NVL-330’s pharmacokinetic profile, and preliminary evaluation of anti-tumor activity. A "Trial in Progress" poster including background and study design for HEROEX-1 will be presented at the 2025 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.

Recent Leadership Promotions

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Ruth Adams, Promoted to Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations: Ruth joined Nuvalent in 2020, bringing more than 20 years of experience in research and development for oncology therapeutics. This promotion recognizes Ruth’s continued excellence in overseeing clinical trial execution, exemplified by her leadership in the global operationalization of Nuvalent’s ARROS-1, ALKOVE-1, HEROEX-1, and ALKAZAR studies.
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Joshua Horan, Ph.D., Promoted to Senior Vice President, Chemistry: Joshua joined the Nuvalent team in 2018, bringing more than 15 years of drug discovery experience spanning the fields of immunology, nephrology, proteopathy, and oncology. This promotion recognizes Joshua’s continued excellence in overseeing Nuvalent’s discovery chemistry program, which has generated three novel, potential best-in-class drug candidates and continues to advance an active discovery pipeline.
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Jessie Lin, Promoted to Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Portfolio Management: Jessie has worked with the Nuvalent team since 2020, bringing 15 years of experience driving multidisciplinary strategic growth initiatives across the life sciences industry.

This promotion recognizes Jessie’s continued excellence in shaping and advancing Nuvalent’s mission of becoming a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company capable of discovering, developing, and delivering precisely targeted therapies for patients with cancer.

Upcoming Events

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TD Cowen 6th Annual Oncology Innovation Summit: Management will be participating in a virtual fireside chat on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. ET. A live webcast will be available in the Investors section of Nuvalent’s website at www.nuvalent.com, and will be archived for 30 days following the conference.

First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

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Cash Position: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $1.1 billion as of March 31, 2025. Nuvalent continues to believe its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its current operating plan into 2028.
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R&D Expenses: Research and development (R&D) expenses were $74.4 million for the first quarter of 2025.
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G&A Expenses: General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $20.4 million for the first quarter of 2025.
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Net Loss: Net loss was $84.6 million for the first quarter of 2025.