Three more Pfizer oncology projects go in latest cull
Pfizer has added to August’s early-stage project discontinuations with the scrapping of work on three further oncology assets. Perhaps the most advanced of these is cofetuzumab pelidotin, an antibody-drug conjugate targeting PTK7 that had been in a phase 1 study in patients with PTK7-expressing lung cancer. Pfizer was jointly developing this asset with AbbVie, which had separately quietly removed it from its own R&D pipeline. OncologyPipeline reveals no other clinical-stage industry projects with this mechanism of action. In yesterday’s third-quarter earnings update Pfizer also revealed the discontinuations of the anti-PD-L1 x CD47 bispecific PF-07257876, and PF-07265028, a small molecule targeting HPK1. Both were in phase 1 solid tumour trials.
Pfizer’s recent oncology discontinuations
| Project | Mechanism | Development stage reached | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| PF-07265807 | AXL/MER inhibitor | Ph1 in solid tumours, +/- sasanlimab +/- Inlyta | Exelixis has zanzalintinib (AXL/MER/VEGFR/MET inhibitor) in ph2/3; Ono terminated ph1/2 trial of tamnorzatinib (AXL/MER inhibitor) in Mar 2023 |
| PF-07209960 | Anti-PD-1/IL-15 fusion protein | Ph1 in solid tumours | Sotio discontinued IL-15 superagonist nanrilkefusp alfa in Oct 2023 |
| Cofetuzumab pelidotin (PF-06647020/ ABBV-647) | Anti-PTK7 ADC | Ph1 in PTK7-expressing NSCLC (joint dev with AbbVie) | MabCare has MTX-13, a preclinical anti-PTK7 ADC |
| PF-07257876 | Anti-PD-L1 x CD47 bispecific | Ph1 in solid tumours (Pfizer focus was NSCLC) | Competitors include Innovent (IBI322), Mabwell (6MW3211), HanX (HX009), Centessa (LB101), Bio-Thera (BAT7104), ImmuneOnco (IMM2520) & Hangzhou Sumgen (SG12473) |
| PF-07265028 | HPK1 inhibitor | Ph1 in solid tumours, +/- sasanlimab | Competitors include BeiGene (BGB-15025), MingMed (PRJ1-3024), Treadwell (CFI-402411), 1st Biotherapeutics (FB849), Nimbus (NDI-101150), Broaden Bio (BB3008) & Regor (RGT-264) |
Source: company statements & OncologyPipeline.
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