On February 20, 2026 Calidi Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI) ("Calidi" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company pioneering the development of targeted genetic medicines, reported data on its novel approach to the use of BiTEs in solid tumors by utilizing its systemically delivered RedTail platform at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Immuno-Oncology (AACR-IO) conference being held in Los Angeles, California. A link to the poster is available here and on the company’s website.

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RedTail is Calidi’s systemically delivered virotherapy platform designed to selectively target tumors, remodel the tumor microenvironment (TME), and enable high-level expression of therapeutic genetic payloads directly within the tumor. CLD-401, the lead candidate derived from the RedTail platform, is engineered to express high levels of IL‑15 superagonist (IL-15 SA), a known T-cell activator, in the TME.

In data presented at the meeting, Calidi demonstrated RedTail viruses that could express both a functional BiTE, capable of binding targeted solid tumor cells, and IL-15 SA at high concentrations, allowing for simultaneous alteration of the TME and T-cell activation and introduction into the TME of a solid-tumor targeting BiTE. BiTEs have shown exceptional efficacy in hematological malignancies but have failed to show clinical benefit in solid tumors where the TME inhibits T-cell activity. By remodeling the TME and driving T-cell activation while expressing a tumor-localized BiTE, RedTail may overcome the historical limitations of BiTEs in solid tumors.

"The RedTail platform allows for the systemic and targeted delivery of genetic payloads to distal sites of disease," said Eric Poma, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Calidi. "Once at the target, RedTail can induce high levels of expression of one or more genetic payloads, representing a major advance in the delivery of genetic medicines."

"The data presented today highlight the ability of the RedTail platform to functionally overexpress complex biologics likes BiTEs and cytokines directly within the tumor microenvironment" said Antonio F. Santidrian, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Technical Operations at Calidi. "Simultaneous tumor-localized expression of a T-cell activator and BiTE via RedTail can remodel the TME to allow for T-cell engagement precisely where it is needed."

Calidi is currently conducting IND-enabling studies with CLD-401, the first lead candidate from its RedTail platform. The company anticipates submitting an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for CLD-401 by the end of 2026. The Company continues to expand the functionality of the RedTail platform and is also actively pursuing strategic partnerships to accelerate clinical development and broaden the impact of its RedTail platform.

(Press release, Calidi Biotherapeutics, FEB 20, 2026, View Source [SID1234662815])

On February 20, 2026 AstraZeneca reported that Calquence (acalabrutinib) in combination with venetoclax has been approved in the US as the first all-oral, fixed-duration regimen for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

The approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was based on positive results from the AMPLIFY Phase III trial, which were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) 2024 Annual Meeting and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.1,2

CLL is the most common type of leukaemia in adults.3 An estimated 18,500 people were treated for CLL in the 1st-line setting in the US in 2024.4

Jennifer Brown, MD, PhD, Director of the CLL Center of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Worthington and Margaret Collette Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and principal investigator of the AMPLIFY trial, said: "The continuous regimens frequently used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukaemia often come with side effects that may become burdensome to patients over time. The US approval of the Calquence combination offers patients an all-oral, 14-month, fixed-duration treatment option that is highly effective and well-tolerated, and gives physicians greater flexibility to tailor treatment plans for individual patient needs and goals."

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said: "Today’s approval delivers the first all-oral, fixed-duration BTK inhibitor-based regimen in the US for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. This Calquence combination has the potential to meaningfully change 1st-line chronic lymphocytic leukaemia treatment decisions and underscores our commitment to improving on the current standard of care for people living with blood cancers."

Gwen Nichols, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Blood Cancer United, formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, said: "Managing an incurable blood cancer that progresses slowly can often feel indefinite and overwhelming. We welcome new treatment options that may ease the burden, restore a sense of control and offer renewed hope for those navigating life with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia."

Results from the AMPLIFY Phase III trial showed 77% of patients treated with Calquence plus venetoclax were progression free at three years, versus 67% of patients treated with standard-of-care chemotherapy (investigator’s choice of fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab or bendamustine-rituximab).2 Median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached versus 47.6 months for chemoimmunotherapy.2 Further, Calquence plus venetoclax reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 35% compared to chemoimmunotherapy (based on hazard ratio 0.65; 95% confidence interval 0.49-0.87; p=0.0038).2

Calquence plus venetoclax is approved in the European Union, Canada, UK and several other countries, and regulatory applications for the regimen based on the AMPLIFY results are currently under review in additional countries.

The safety and tolerability of Calquence was consistent with its known safety profile, and no new safety signals were identified.

Notes

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)
CLL is the most prevalent type of leukaemia in adults, with an estimated 40,000 people being treated for CLL in the first line in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan and China in 2024.4 Although some people with CLL may not experience any symptoms at diagnosis, others may experience symptoms, such as weakness, fatigue, weight loss, chills, fever, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes and abdominal pain.5 In CLL, there is an accumulation of abnormal lymphocytes within the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes. As the number of abnormal cells increases, there is less room within the marrow for the production of normal white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.3 This could result in infection, anaemia and bleeding. B-cell receptor signalling through BTK is one of the essential growth pathways for CLL.

AMPLIFY
AMPLIFY is a randomised, global, multi-centre, open-label Phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of Calquence in combination with venetoclax, with or without obinutuzumab, compared to investigator’s choice of chemoimmunotherapy (fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab or bendamustine-rituximab) in adult patients with previously untreated CLL without del(17p) or TP53 mutation.6 Patients were randomised 1:1:1 to receive either Calquence plus venetoclax, or Calquence plus venetoclax with obinutuzumab for a fixed duration, or standard-of-care chemoimmunotherapy.6 Both the Calquence containing arms were administered for a fixed duration of 14 cycles (each 28 days), and the standard-of-care chemoimmunotherapy was administered for 6 cycles.6

The primary endpoint is PFS in the Calquence and venetoclax arm as assessed by an Independent Review Committee, and PFS is a key secondary endpoint in the Calquence plus venetoclax with obinutuzumab arm.7 Other key secondary endpoints include overall survival (OS) and undetectable measurable residual disease.6 The trial includes 27 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.6

The AMPLIFY trial enrolled patients from 2019 to 2021, continuing through the COVID-19 pandemic.6

Calquence
Calquence (acalabrutinib) is a second-generation, selective inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK). Calquence binds covalently to BTK, thereby inhibiting its activity.7 In B-cells, BTK signalling results in activation of pathways necessary for B-cell proliferation, trafficking, chemotaxis and adhesion.

Calquence is approved for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in the US, Japan and China, and approved for CLL in Europe and many other countries. Calquence is also approved as a fixed-duration treatment for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated CLL in combination with venetoclax in the US, and in combination with venetoclax, with or without obinutuzumab, in Europe, Canada, the U.K. and several other countries. Calquence is also approved for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in the US, Europe, Japan and other countries. It is also approved for the treatment of adult patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy in China and several other countries.

As part of an extensive clinical development programme, Calquence is currently being evaluated as a single treatment and in combination with standard-of-care chemoimmunotherapy for patients with multiple B-cell blood cancers, including CLL, MCL and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

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(Press release, AstraZeneca, FEB 20, 2026, View Source [SID1234662814])

On February 19, 2026 Oncopeptides reported full year 2025 financial results.

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(Presentation, Oncopeptides, FEB 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234669199])

On February 19, 2026 etherna, a leading provider of cutting-edge mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology across the biotech and pharma industry, reported that one of its key collaborators, Almirall (www.almirall.com), a leading medical dermatology company, nominated LAD116 as a novel therapy targeting non-melanoma skin cancer for further development in IND enabling studies. LAD116 is based on etherna’s intratumoral mRNA/LNP platform for therapies intended to generate a potent immune response directly within the tumor microenvironment. The collaboration with Almirall on this potential new therapy will now focus on manufacturing and producing GMP-grade material for IND enabling studies and intended Phase I clinical trials.

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Bernard Sagaert, CEO, etherna, added:
"This collaboration is a perfect example of what can be achieved when teams are fully aligned and driven to succeed. The combined efforts of both companies to discover and advance an mRNA-LNP based therapy to preclinical candidate nomination, on time and on budget, has been outstanding. We are extremely happy to continue to support Almirall as they advance this promising approach for non-melanoma skin cancer patients."

Karl Ziegelbauer, Chief Scientific Officer, Almirall, commented:

"Almirall is committed to advancing innovation in medical dermatology to address significant unmet medical needs. We are very excited to advance this innovative intratumoral approach to potentially treat patients with non-melanoma skin cancer and we are delighted to see rapid progress of our collaboration with etherna based on their mRNA and LNP capabilities."

(Press release, eTheRNA, FEB 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234662910])

On February 19, 2026 Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s New Drug Application for giredestrant, an investigational oral therapy, in combination with everolimus for the treatment of adult patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, ESR1-mutated locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer following recurrence or progression on a prior endocrine-based regimen. The FDA is expected to make a decision on the approval by December 18, 2026. Giredestrant plus everolimus could be the first and only oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) combination approved in the post-cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitor setting.

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"The clinically meaningful benefit seen with giredestrant could enable an important new treatment option to help delay disease progression or death in people with advanced, ER-positive breast cancer," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. "This acceptance marks a first step towards establishing the giredestrant combination as a new standard of care in this population."

The filing acceptance is based on the Phase III evERA Breast Cancer study results, which showed that giredestrant plus everolimus reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 44% and 62% in the intention-to-treat (ITT) and ESR1-mutated populations, respectively, compared with standard-of-care endocrine therapy plus everolimus. In the ESR1-mutated population, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 9.99 months compared with 5.45 months in the giredestrant and comparator arm, respectively (stratified hazard ratio [HR]=0.38, 95% CI: 0.27-0.54, p-value=<0.0001). In the ITT population, the median PFS was 8.77 months compared with 5.49 months in the giredestrant and comparator arms, respectively (HR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.44-0.71, p-value=<0.0001).

Overall survival (OS) data were immature at the time of analysis, but a clear positive trend has been observed in the ITT (HR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.47-1.00, p-value=0.0473) and ESR1-mutated populations (HR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.38-1.02, p-value=0.0566). Follow-up for OS will continue to the next analysis. Adverse events for the giredestrant combination were manageable and consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual medicines. No unexpected safety findings were observed, including no photopsia.

Data from evERA are being used to support filing submissions to other global health authorities.

ER-positive breast cancer accounts for approximately 70% of breast cancer cases. Resistance to endocrine therapies, particularly in the post-CDK inhibitor setting, increases the risk of disease progression and is associated with poor outcomes. Oral combination therapies, such as giredestrant plus everolimus, could address this by targeting two different signaling pathways while helping to minimize the impact of treatment on people’s lives without the need for injections.

evERA was the first positive Phase III readout for giredestrant, followed by lidERA Breast Cancer in the early-stage setting. The scientific rationale for lidERA was supported by prior results in the neoadjuvant setting, including the coopERA trial showing that giredestrant was superior to an aromatase inhibitor in reducing malignant cell division (Ki67 levels). This growing body of evidence underscores the potential of giredestrant to become a new standard-of-care endocrine therapy across ER-positive early-stage and advanced breast cancer. In the coming weeks, Genentech will submit the giredestrant Phase III lidERA data in early-stage breast cancer to the FDA. The persevERA readout in first-line ER-positive breast cancer is expected in the first half of this year, which will provide further evidence for giredestrant in the ER-positive breast cancer treatment paradigm.

Our extensive giredestrant clinical development program spans multiple treatment settings and lines of therapy, reflecting our commitment to deliver innovative medicines to as many people with ER-positive breast cancer as possible.

About the evERA Breast Cancer study

evERA Breast Cancer [NCT05306340] is a Phase III, randomized, open-label, multicenter study evaluating the efficacy and safety of giredestrant in combination with everolimus versus standard-of-care endocrine therapy in combination with everolimus in people with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have had previous treatment with cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy, either in the adjuvant or locally advanced/metastatic setting.

The co-primary endpoints are investigator-assessed progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat and ESR1-mutated populations, defined as the time from randomization to the time when the disease progresses or a patient dies from any cause. The trial has been enriched for ESR1-mutated patients above the natural prevalence to assess the efficacy in this population. In the post-CDK inhibitor setting, up to 40% of people with ER-positive disease have ESR1 mutations. Key secondary endpoints include overall survival, objective response rate, duration of response, clinical benefit rate and safety.

About giredestrant

Giredestrant is an investigational, oral, potent next-generation selective estrogen receptor degrader and full antagonist.

Giredestrant is designed to block estrogen from binding to the estrogen receptor (ER), triggering its breakdown (known as degradation) and stopping or slowing down the growth of cancer cells.

Giredestrant has an extensive clinical development program and is being investigated in five company-sponsored Phase III clinical trials that span multiple treatment settings and lines of therapy to benefit as many people as possible:

Giredestrant versus standard-of-care endocrine therapy (SoC ET) as adjuvant treatment in ER-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative early-stage breast cancer (lidERA Breast Cancer; NCT04961996)
Giredestrant plus everolimus versus SoC ET plus everolimus in ER-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (evERA Breast Cancer; NCT05306340)
Giredestrant plus palbociclib versus letrozole plus palbociclib in ER-positive, HER2-negative, endocrine-sensitive, recurrent locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (persevERA Breast Cancer; NCT04546009)
Giredestrant plus investigator’s choice of a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitor versus fulvestrant plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor in ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer resistant to adjuvant endocrine therapy (pionERA Breast Cancer; NCT06065748)
Giredestrant plus dual HER2 blockade versus dual HER2 blockade in ER-positive, HER2-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (heredERA Breast Cancer; NCT05296798)

About estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer

Globally, the burden of breast cancer continues to grow, with 2.3 million women diagnosed and 670,000 dying from the disease every year. Breast cancer remains the number one cause of cancer-related deaths amongst women, and the second most common cancer type.

ER-positive breast cancer accounts for approximately 70% of breast cancer cases. A defining feature of ER-positive breast cancer is that its tumor cells have receptors that attach to estrogen, which can contribute to tumor growth.

Despite treatment advances, ER-positive breast cancer remains particularly challenging to treat due to its biological complexity. Patients often face the risk of disease progression, treatment side effects and resistance to endocrine therapy. There is an urgent need for more effective treatments that can delay clinical progression and reduce the burden of treatment on people’s lives.

(Press release, Genentech, FEB 19, 2026, View Source [SID1234662821])