STAT+: For Prostate Cancer Patients Set on Surgery, New Hormone Regimen May Improve Outcomes, Study Finds
A phase‑3 PROTEUS trial found that administering two hormone therapies before and after prostatectomy outperformed a single‑hormone regimen in high‑risk, early‑stage patients. The dual approach reduced biochemical recurrence and improved margin‑negative resection rates. Oncologists view the data as a potential new standard of care, adding a surgical‑plus‑hormone option alongside radiation‑plus‑hormone therapy. The study’s authors and commentators call it a watershed moment for prostate cancer treatment.
STAT+: Akeso and Summit’s Ivonescimab Extends Survival in Squamous Cell Lung Cancer
Ivonescimab, a dual‑action antibody co‑developed by Akeso Therapeutics and Summit Therapeutics, cut mortality risk by 34% versus standard therapy in a China‑only trial for squamous non‑small cell lung cancer. The data, unveiled at ASCO and published in The Lancet, represent...
STAT+: Revolution Medicines Starts Shipping Experimental Pancreatic Cancer Drug
Revolution Medicines has begun shipping its experimental pancreatic cancer therapy, daraxonrasib, to physicians through an FDA‑authorized early‑access program. The rollout follows Phase 3 data released in mid‑April showing patients lived nearly twice as long as those on standard chemotherapy—the longest survival...
STAT+: Biotech Veteran Jeremy Levin on Why the Industry’s Future Is Secure, but American Leadership Is at Risk
Jeremy Levin, founder of Ovid Therapeutics and former Teva CEO, argues that while biotech science is advancing rapidly, the sector’s future is jeopardized by eroding regulatory, investment, and public‑trust institutions. In his new book he highlights political upheaval and short‑term...
STAT+: Kailera’s Own ‘Triple-G’ Drug Also Looks Very Powerful
The FDA postponed its decision on AstraZeneca’s experimental breast‑cancer therapy camizestrant after advisers criticized the SERENA‑6 trial design, giving the company extra time for additional analyses. Meanwhile, Blackstone Life Sciences pledged up to $1.3 billion to Apogee Therapeutics to fund Phase 3...
STAT+: An AI Biotech CEO Sets the Record Straight on AI Drug Development Hype
BigHat Biosciences CEO Peyton Greenside says her firm can generate antibody designs in as little as 20 minutes using machine‑learning, far faster than the six‑hour demos often touted in the industry. However, she emphasizes that rapid design is only the...
STAT+: Longevity Startup Retro Biosciences Says Latest Fundraising Values It at $1.8 Billion
Longevity startup Retro Biosciences announced a new fundraising round that values the company at $1.8 billion. Backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Retro aims to add ten healthy years to human life using gene and cell‑replacement therapies. The firm is currently...
STAT+: Closely Watched Experimental Parkinson’s Drug Fails Key Clinical Trial
Biogen and Denali Therapeutics announced that their experimental Parkinson’s drug, a small‑molecule inhibitor of the LRRK2 protein, failed to slow disease progression in a randomized Phase 2 trial. The study enrolled 648 adults who received either the LRRK2 pill or...
STAT+: Merck-Kelun Lung Cancer Drug Cut Risk of Tumor Progression by 65%, ASCO Abstract Shows
Merck and China‑based Kelun‑Biotech announced that their antibody‑drug conjugate sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac‑TMT) reduced the risk of tumor progression by 65% in a Phase 3 trial of untreated advanced non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study, conducted in China, also showed an...
STAT+: Biotech Execs, Academic Expert Lament Impact of FDA Turnover on Rare Disease Drug Development
Biotech leaders and an academic expert warned that recent turnover among senior FDA officials is creating heightened uncertainty for rare‑disease drug developers. At the STAT Breakthrough Summit West, Mahzi Therapeutics CEO Yael Weiss described constant investor inquiries and a “roller‑coaster”...
STAT+: A New Ranking of Pharma Companies by R&D Performance
Eli Lilly topped IDEA Pharma’s annual R&D ranking, ranking first in both the Innovation and Invention categories—a first in the study’s history. The Innovation score reflects revenue from newly launched drugs, while the Invention score weighs the size of the pipeline...
STAT+: The China Question Is Tearing Biotech Apart
U.S. biotech firms have poured roughly $60 billion into Chinese‑origin molecules in the first quarter of 2026, a rate that could double the previous year’s spend and represents a ten‑fold jump since 2021. The influx of affordable, fast‑developed compounds fuels pipeline...
STAT+: Biogen’s Tau-Targeting Alzheimer’s Drug Posts Mixed Results in Mid-Stage Study
Biogen’s Phase 2 trial of the tau‑targeting Alzheimer’s drug diranersen (BIIB080) showed that the compound lowered tau protein in cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue and was linked to a modest slowing of cognitive decline. The study evaluated three escalating dose levels,...
STAT+: CREATE Medicines, a Biotech Company Developing CAR-T Therapies, Raises $122 Million
CREATE Medicines, formerly Myeloid Therapeutics, secured $122 million to advance its CAR‑T pipeline, targeting solid tumors and autoimmune diseases. The round was led by Newpath Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, and Hatteras Venture Partners. The rebranding reflects a broader focus beyond myeloid‑cell...
STAT+: Gene Therapy Viruses Linked to a Boy’s Tumor
A recent investigation has linked a viral vector used in a gene‑therapy trial to a tumor in a young boy, marking the first documented case of a potential therapy‑induced cancer. The tumor was identified as a sarcoma arising at the...