Power Alley: Deep Pockets Gilead Passes On Would-Be Competitor To Merck's Welireg, In Certain Cancers -- Despite Encouraging Clinical Results...

I think this can only be read as Gilead conceding that Merck's HIF-2a inhibitor in certain cancers, branded as Welireg (having earned two more EU approvals recently -- including in renal cell carcinomas) will be the market leader by a pretty fair distance. [Especially when it is using Keytruda as the launch pad, in the space.]

That is not by any means a death-knell for Arcus Biosciences' candidate. No, as the Arcus CEO says -- the market is more than big enough for Arcus to do very well. . . once approved, but Gilead sees investing in its own stable as the higher return, lower risk bet at the moment. And in many ways, Merck and Gilead are "friendlies" -- on several deals, so no need to antagonize Rahway, in any way.

Here's the latest -- from the expert analysis at Fierce BioScience:

. . .Gilead had the right to opt in to develop and sell Arcus’ experimental hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2a) inhibitor, called casdatifan, once Arcus had delivered a qualifying data package. Last October, the biotech unveiled phase 1 data in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) showing casdatifan achieved a general overall response rate (ORR) of 34% and a confirmed ORR of 25%. The readout led Evercore analysts to predict that Gilead would opt in to the program by early 2025.

But, this morning, the company announced that the window for Gilead to take up this option had expired, and the rights to casdatifan would in fact be staying with Arcus. . . .

Now you know -- with an update on the lunacy in DC later today. I may be reaching saturation point on that particular dumb show. When Trump 2.0 quotes. . . Napoleon (unwittingly, no less!) -- to justify his lawlessness. . . we have likely-turned onto a perilous page, here.

Onward, resolutely just the same. . . .

नमस्ते