On January 21, 2025 ArriVent BioPharma, Inc. (Company or ArriVent) (Nasdaq: AVBP) a clinical-stage company dedicated to accelerating the global development of innovative biopharmaceutical therapeutics, reported that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Lepu Biopharma Co., Ltd (Stock Code: 02157.HK) for MRG007, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that can target several gastrointestinal (GI) cancers (Filing, 8-K, ArriVent Biopharma, JAN 22, 2025, View Source [SID1234649821]). Under the terms of the agreement, ArriVent obtains the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize MRG007 worldwide outside of Greater China which includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

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"We believe MRG007 is a potential best-in-class ADC for the treatment of GI malignancies based on preclinical and IND enabling studies," said Bing Yao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ArriVent. "Expanding our pipeline with MRG007 furthers our mission to develop novel medicines for cancers with high unmet needs worldwide and accelerates our ADC portfolio by adding a program which plans to enter the clinic in the near-term. We look forward to collaborating with Lepu Biopharma in advancing this program globally."

Ziye Sui, Ph.D., Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lepu Biopharma added, "We are very pleased to be working with ArriVent. Lepu Biopharma has been dedicated to promoting the technological advancement of innovative ADCs. We believe MRG007 is one of our potential best-in-class ADC molecules in pre-clinical stage. The agreement is a recognition of our self-dependent R&D capabilities. We look forward to collaborating with ArriVent to advance the development of MRG007 globally and help bring this potential promising therapy to more patients around the world."

MRG007 has shown robust antitumor activity in preclinical models of GI cancers and a favorable therapeutic index based on IND enabling studies. The first IND submission is planned for the first half of 2025 with an initial clinical development focus in CRC, pancreatic and other GI cancers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lepu Biopharma has granted ArriVent exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize MRG007 outside of Greater China. Lepu Biopharma will receive a one-time upfront payment and near-term milestone payments totaling $47 million in cash and is eligible to receive up to $1.16 billion in development, regulatory and sales milestones and tiered royalties on net sales outside of Greater China. The upfront payment and projected research and development costs, including potential milestone payments, do not change ArriVent’s previously announced expected cash runway into 2026.

On January 22, 2025 Alligator Bioscience reported full year financial results for 2024 and for Q4 2024 and provides a business update (Press release, Alligator Bioscience, JAN 22, 2025, View Source [SID1234649820]).

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On January 22, 2025 Abbott (NYSE: ABT) reported financial results for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2024 (Press release, Abbott, JAN 22, 2025, View Source [SID1234649819]).

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Fourth-quarter sales increased 7.2 percent on a reported basis, 8.8 percent on an organic basis, and 10.1 percent on an organic basis, excluding COVID-19 testing-related sales.
Fourth-quarter GAAP diluted EPS of $5.27 and adjusted diluted EPS of $1.34, which excludes specified items (see table titled "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Financial Information").
Full-year 2024 sales of $42.0 billion increased 4.6 percent on a reported basis, 7.1 percent on an organic basis, and 9.6 percent on an organic basis, excluding COVID-19 testing-related sales.
Full-year 2024 gross margin as a percent of sales improved 60 basis points on a GAAP basis compared to 2023 and improved 70 basis points on an adjusted basis.
Full-year 2024 GAAP diluted EPS of $7.64 and adjusted diluted EPS of $4.67, which excludes specified items (see table titled "Non-GAAP Reconciliation of Financial Information").
For the full-year 2024, Abbott achieved the upper end of the initial guidance ranges the company provided in January 2024 for both organic sales growth and adjusted earnings per share.
During 2024, Abbott announced more than 15 new growth opportunities coming from the company’s highly productive R&D pipeline. These include a combination of new product approvals and new treatment indications.
Abbott projects full-year 2025 organic sales growth to be in the range of 7.5% to 8.5%.
Abbott projects full-year 2025 adjusted operating margin to be 23.5% to 24.0% of sales, which reflects an increase of 150 basis points at the midpoint compared to 2024.
Abbott projects full-year 2025 adjusted diluted EPS of $5.05 to $5.25, which reflects double-digit growth at the midpoint.
"We finished the year with very strong momentum. Sales growth and earnings per share growth in the fourth quarter were the highest of the year," said Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "We continued our track record for delivering on our commitments by achieving the upper end of our initial guidance ranges for 2024 and are well-positioned to deliver another year of strong growth in 2025."

FOURTH-QUARTER BUSINESS OVERVIEW
Management believes that measuring sales growth rates on an organic basis, which excludes the impact of foreign exchange and the impact of discontinuing the ZonePerfect product line in the Nutrition business, is an appropriate way for investors to best understand the core underlying performance of the business. Management further believes that measuring sales growth rates on an organic basis excluding COVID-19 tests is an appropriate way for investors to best understand underlying base business performance in 2024, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted to an endemic state, resulting in significantly lower demand for COVID-19 tests.

Note: In order to compute results excluding the impact of exchange rates, current year U.S. dollar sales are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the current year average foreign exchange rates and then those amounts are multiplied or divided, as appropriate, by the prior year average foreign exchange rates.

On January 22, 2025 Immutep Limited (ASX: IMM; NASDAQ: IMMP) ("Immutep" or "the Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel LAG-3 immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune disease, reported that patient enrolment has been completed in the investigator-initiated EFTISARC-NEO trial (Press release, Immutep, JAN 22, 2025, https://www.immutep.com/detail/patient-enrolment-completed-for-eftisarc-neo-phase-ii-trial.html [SID1234649801]). EFTISARC-NEO is evaluating eftilagimod alpha (efti) in combination with radiotherapy plus KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in the neoadjuvant setting for patients with resectable soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

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The Phase II trial conducted by the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology (MSCNRIO) in Warsaw, the national reference centre for STS in Poland, has reached its enrolment target of 40 patients.

As previously announced, positive data from EFTISARC-NEO was presented at the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) Annual Meeting in November 2024. Among 21 patients available for primary endpoint assessment, the triple combination achieved a greater than three-fold increase in tumour hyalinization/fibrosis (median 50%) at the time of surgical resection as compared to a historical median 15% from radiotherapy alone. This is an early surrogate endpoint at the time of surgery as tumour hyalinization/fibrosis has been associated with improved survival for STS patients.1,2

Additionally, the treatment has been safe with no grade ≥3 toxicities related to efti and pembrolizumab.

Data updates from EFTISARC-NEO are expected in 2025. For more information on the trial, please visit clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06128863).

On January 21, 2025 NiKang Therapeutics Inc. ("NiKang"), a clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing innovative small molecule oncology medicines to bring transformative therapies to patients in need, reported that the first patient has been dosed in the global randomized phase 1b/2 clinical study evaluating NKT2152, a highly potent, selective and orally bioavailable small molecule HIF2α inhibitor, in combination with standard-of-care regimen of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and bevacizumab (Avastin) in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic HCC (Press release, NiKang Therapeutics, JAN 21, 2025, View Source [SID1234649808]). This study is being conducted under a clinical trial collaboration with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd ("Roche") as part of Roche’s MORPHEUS-liver platform trial (NCT04524871).

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"The commencement of this randomized study of NKT2152 in partnership with Roche represents a significant milestone in the advancement of NKT2152 for the treatment of tumors beyond ccRCC," said Zhenhai Gao, Ph.D., co-founder, president, and CEO of NiKang. "NKT2152 has demonstrated significant anti-tumor efficacy and a favorable safety profile not only in human ccRCC patients but also in preclinical xenograft models of solid tumors beyond ccRCC, underscoring its potential for broad application in human cancer treatments. HCC is of particular interest due to the compelling scientific rationale supporting NKT2152 and robust preclinical data. With high potency, selectivity, and unique human pharmacokinetic (PK) profile characterized by higher systemic exposure, a larger volume of distribution, and a longer half-life, NKT2152 emerges as an ideal candidate for combination with antibody-based regimens to treat solid tumors beyond ccRCC, where higher drug exposure may be necessary. We are enthusiastic about further exploring NKT2152’s potential in the first-line treatment of HCC patients through this randomized trial".

About NKT2152
NKT2152 is a potent, selective and orally available small molecule HIF2α inhibitor which binds to HIF2α allosterically and disrupts the HIF2α/HIF1β transcription factor complex, thereby reducing the production of proteins which lead to tumorigenesis. NKT2152 is currently under evaluation in a Phase 1/2 clinical study in ccRCC as a single agent (NCT05119335) and a Phase 2 clinical study in ccRCC in combination with palbociclib and sasanlimab (NCT05935748). A third clinical study, as part of Roche’s MORPHEUS-liver platform trial, evaluating the combination with standard-of-care atezolizumab and bevacizumab in first-line unresectable/advance hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (NCT04524871) is ongoing.