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Bristol Myers Squibb Strengthens and Diversifies Cell Therapy Portfolio with Acquisition of Orbital Therapeutics

On October 10, 2025 Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY, "BMS") and Orbital Therapeutics ("Orbital") reported a definitive agreement under which BMS will acquire Orbital, a privately held biotechnology company pioneering a new generation of RNA medicines that reprogram the immune system in vivo, enabling treatments that provide the precision, control, and flexibility needed to address the underlying biology and unique complexities of each disease (Press release, Bristol-Myers Squibb, OCT 10, 2025, View Source [SID1234656554]).

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"In vivo CAR T represents a novel treatment approach that could redefine how we treat autoimmune diseases," said Robert Plenge, MD, PhD, executive vice president, Chief Research Officer, BMS. "This acquisition enhances our robust cell therapy research platform and provides an opportunity to advance a potential best-in-class therapy designed to deplete autoreactive B cells and reset the immune system. We are excited by the promise this holds for patients with autoimmune diseases who are waiting for better options."

The acquisition includes Orbital’s lead RNA immunotherapy preclinical candidate currently in IND-enabling studies, OTX-201, which comprises an optimized circular RNA encoding a CD19-targeted CAR for in vivo expression delivered via targeted lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). This in vivo approach, in which the patient’s own body serves as the manufacturer of CAR T-cells, has the potential to offer a reduced treatment burden and improved accessibility compared to ex vivo CAR T-cell therapies. Additionally, BMS will acquire Orbital’s proprietary RNA platform, which integrates circular and linear RNA engineering, advanced LNP delivery, and AI-driven design to enable durable, programmable RNA therapies tailored to the distinct biology of a broad spectrum of diseases.

"With the acquisition of Orbital Therapeutics and its next-generation RNA platform, we have an incredible opportunity to make CAR T-cell therapy more efficient and accessible to more patients," said Lynelle B. Hoch, president, Cell Therapy Organization, BMS. "As a leader in cell therapy, we are uniquely positioned to evaluate multiple different platform approaches to induce immune reset in autoimmune diseases and continue to optimize in vivo technology in clinical development."

"This agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb, a recognized leader in global medicine, marks a transformational moment for Orbital and the advancement of RNA medicine," said Ron Philip, Chief Executive Officer, Orbital Therapeutics. "Since inception, Orbital has made significant strides developing a differentiated RNA platform designed to enable a new generation of RNA medicines that reach more tissues, address more diseases, and benefit more patients. The promising early data from our lead program, OTX-201, underscore the strength of this approach and the potential of our integrated RNA technologies. Together, we aim to deliver RNA medicines that provide patients with treatments that are simpler, safer, and more accessible compared to today’s complex therapies."

Under the terms of the agreement, BMS will pay $1.5 billion in cash at closing to acquire Orbital, which is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, and until then, BMS and Orbital will continue to operate as separate and independent companies. The accounting treatment as a business combination or asset acquisition will be determined upon the expected close of the transaction.

Advisors
Covington & Burling LLP is serving as legal counsel to Bristol Myers Squibb. Centerview Partners LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Orbital Therapeutics, and Goodwin Proctor LLP is serving as legal counsel.

Akari Therapeutics Files Two NewPatents for Immuno-Oncology Mode of Action for Novel ADC Platform Utilizing Spliceosome Modulating Payload PH1

On October 9, 2025 Akari Therapeutics, Plc (Nasdaq: AKTX), an oncology biotechnology company developing novel payload antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), reported that it has filed two new provisional patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The first application includes claims protecting Akari’s novel immuno-oncology payload, PH1 (a novel Thailanstatin analog), and its spliceosome modulatory mechanism of action, which is expected to provide a therapeutic benefit by activating the host immune system in the fight against cancer. The second patent filing includes claims for a combination therapy of PH1 pipeline ADCs with other immuno-oncology drugs that alleviate checkpoint inhibition and have demonstrated synergy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in preclinical models. These new patent applications are part of a growing patent portfolio strategy designed to further extend Akari’s proprietary position with respect to the Company’s novel PH1 payload. These filings also build upon Akari’s recent provisional patent filing in late September covering the use of Akari’s ADC platform to target cancer by modulating alternative splicing drivers within cancer cells.

Abizer Gaslightwala, President and Chief Executive Officer of Akari Therapeutics commented, "The filing of these two patent applications furthers our strategy to establish a framework for building a new class of immuno-oncology ADC therapies and build on the tremendous success of checkpoint inhibitors. We believe the data within our patent applications enable the potential of our PH1 payload to build novel first-in-class immune-oncology ADCs and continue to demonstrate Akari’s advances in our understanding of spliceosome modulation as a strategy to attack cancer. In particular, these two patent applications include data that highlight the unique immuno-oncology action that the PH1 payload can potentially unlock to drive differentiated clinical outcomes and remissions for cancer patients in the future."

"We look forward to sharing more details at the upcoming presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) Congress as an oral presentation on November 9th to highlight the progress of our exciting research on Akari’s spliceosome modulating payload PH1. These specific provisional patent applications are designed to protect our disclosures at the SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) conference and increase the scope of our intellectual property estate, which we anticipate will enable long term value creation for Akari and potential partners we elect to work with on our ADC portfolio," concluded Mr. Gaslightwala.

To build on the Company’s current patent estate around the PH1 spliceosome modulating payload, these patent filings include data that highlights the immuno-oncology properties of Akari’s proprietary ADCs as a single agent, as well as a synergistic gain-of-function effects from the synergy created when Akari’s proprietary ADCs are combined with certain checkpoint inhibitors, as compared to either single agent-ADC or immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Checkpoint inhibitors have seen historic success across several cancer types but have only benefited roughly 20-30% of patients as measured by response rates in approved cancer types. Akari’s data underscore the potential for creating a new ADC paradigm for targeting cancer via spliceosome modulation and unlocking the potential of a combination checkpoint inhibitor-PH1 ADC regimen in new and exciting ways.

The Company continues to expand its current ADC pipeline to encompass multiple targets, such as AKTX-101 (Trop2 ADC with PH1 payload), as well as future programs (AKTX-102, undisclosed target with PH1 payload).

(Press release, Akari Therapeutics, OCT 9, 2025, View Source [SID1234656890])

Ono Announces ONO-4578 (EP4 antagonist) in Combination with Opdivo and Chemotherapy Met the Primary Endpoint in a Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Patients with Certain Gastric Cancer

On October 9, 2025 Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka, Japan; President and COO: Toichi Takino; "Ono") reported that ONO-4578, an EP4 antagonist, in combination with Opdivo, an anti–PD-1 antibody and chemotherapy which is one of the standard treatments in this setting met the primary endpoint in the Phase 2 clinical trial (ONO-4578-08 study) in patients with previously untreated, HER2-negative unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer (including gastroesophageal junction cancer) (Press release, Ono, OCT 9, 2025, View Source [SID1234656550]).

In the trial, ONO-4578 in combination with Opdivo and chemotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant prolongation of progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo in combination with Opdivo and chemotherapy. In addition, no new safety concerns were identified in the trial. Ono will publish the results at an upcoming academic meeting.

About ONO-4578-08 study

ONO-4578-08 study is a multicenter, randomized Phase 2 clinical trial, conducted in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in patients with previously untreated, HER2-negative unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer. ONO-4578 in combination with Opdivo and chemotherapy (S-1 + oxaliplatin or capecitabine + oxaliplatin) was compared with placebo in combination with Opdivo and chemotherapy. In this trial, patients received 40 mg of ONO-4578 once daily and 360 mg of Opdivo every 3 weeks in combination with chemotherapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity was observed. The primary endpoint of this trial is PFS.

About Gastric cancer

It is estimated that approximately 126,000 new cases with gastric cancer are diagnosed per year in Japan1) (approximately 968,000 cases worldwide2)) and approximately 43,000 deaths per year in Japan1) (approximately 660,000 deaths worldwide2)) resulting from gastric cancer, which is the third most common type of cancer following colorectal cancer and lung cancer in Japan. Combination therapies with anti–PD-1 antibody and chemotherapy have been approved for the first-line treatment of HER2-negative unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer as the standard treatment. However, unresectable gastric cancer remains incurable, and a new treatment option is needed for patients with gastric cancer.

About ONO-4578

ONO-4578 is a selective, oral antagonist of EP4, which is one of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptors, developed by Ono. PGE2, which is produced by cancer cells, suppresses the action of cancer immunity through EP4 receptors expressed on various immune cells3)~5). ONO-4578 is expected to exert antitumor effect by suppressing EP4-mediated effects of PGE2 and by restoring cancer immunity6). In the phase 1 clinical trial in patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer (including gastroesophageal junction cancer) after the third- or later-line treatment, a combination therapy with ONO-4578 and Opdivo showed antitumor effect and a manageable safety profile7). Currently, Ono is conducting several clinical trials of ONO-4578, including a global phase 2 clinical trial in patients with colorectal cancer.

RefleXion Announces First Patient Treatment at Leading Freestanding Cancer Center

On October 9, 2025 RefleXion, an external-beam, theranostic oncology company, reported that Beverly Hills Cancer Center, a leading private cancer diagnostic and treatment facility, has treated its first patient with the RefleXion X1 dual-treatment modality radiotherapy platform (Press release, RefleXion, OCT 9, 2025, View Source [SID1234656549]). This milestone marks an important expansion of the X1’s clinical footprint into freestanding cancer centers, broadening patient access to both SCINTIX biology guided-radiotherapy and conventional image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT).

"We are very pleased to have begun patient treatments on the RefleXion X1 platform," said Ari Gabayan, M.D., medical director at Beverly Hills Cancer Center. "This dual-treatment platform enables us to treat all stages of solid tumor cancers in IGRT mode and to introduce a completely new therapeutic option using the autonomous guidance of SCINTIX therapy for patients with lung and bone tumors. SCINTIX technology is unlike any other radiotherapy, and we believe it represents the next frontier in precision cancer care."

With this installation, Beverly Hills Cancer Center joins a growing network of cancer centers adopting RefleXion’s X1 platform to expand their radiotherapy capabilities. In addition to delivering conventional IGRT, Beverly Hills Cancer Center is preparing to offer SCINTIX therapy for patients with lung and bone tumors. SCINTIX therapy uses real-time biological signals emitted from cancer cells to autonomously guide radiation delivery. Patients receive an injection of a small amount of a PET tracer, fludeoxyglucose F18, which the cancer cells consume. The X1 detects the signals produced by the PET tracer and dynamically directs radiation dose to active tumor cells.

"With their first patient treatment on the X1 platform, Beverly Hills Cancer Center continues their strong tradition of delivering cutting-edge cancer treatment," said Todd Powell, president and CEO of RefleXion. "This milestone underscores the scalability and adaptability of our technology, opening access to both hospital-based and freestanding centers. It also demonstrates the growing commercial potential of our platform as we move closer to establishing SCINTIX therapy as a new standard for metastatic disease."

Recently, RefleXion announced positive results from its PREMIER registry a prospective, multi-institutional study evaluating SCINTIX therapy. Findings presented at the 2025 ASTRO Annual Meeting in San Francisco, showed local control of 100 percent via follow up imaging of up to nine months post-treatment with no reported Grade 2 or higher adverse events among 31 patients. Patients were treated for lung tumors, including early-stage and metastatic disease, or for bone metastases. These data represent the first evidence of SCINTIX therapy’s clinical impact.

OPM Publishes Its 2025 Half-Yearly Report

On October 9, 2025 Oncodesign Precision Medicine (OPM) (ISIN: FR001400CM63; Mnemonic: ALOPM), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in precision medicine for the treatment of resistant and metastatic cancers, reported that its half-yearly financial report as of June 30, 2025 has been filed with the Financial Markets Authority (Press release, Oncodesign Precision Medicine, OCT 9, 2025, View Source [SID1234656548]).

The report includes:

The statement by the responsible person;
The management report;
The consolidated financial statements;
The various reports by the statutory auditors.
It also includes the company’s cash position. As of June 30, 2025, OPM had cash of €2.45 million. This amount does not include the €1.10 million research tax credit refund received in July 2025, nor the €0.22 million in repayable advances granted for the OncoSNIPE project.

This cash position does not take into account future revenues relating to potential future revenues, milestones and up-fronts for its products developed in existing or future partnerships, nor the amounts of public funding still to be received. Without any funding inflows in the coming weeks, OPM’s cash horizon is December 2025. However, several discussions are underway with potential partners, particularly regarding OPM-201.

The report is available (French only) on the OPM website, www.oncodesign.com, under the Investors / Regulated Information section.