Editor’s Briefing: October 26, 2026

In Short. Xencor reported that its kidney cancer drug shrank tumors in nearly half of patients at its chosen dose. Tango, MacroGenics and Corcept fell on Friday, and Phathom’s fight over generic entry moved to an FDA comment process.

Xencor picks a dose for its kidney cancer drug

CLEAR cell renal cell carcinoma is the most common kind of kidney cancer. Xencor, based in Pasadena, California, is testing XmAb819, a bispecific antibody (one that grabs two targets at once) which binds ENPP3, a protein on kidney cancer cells, and CD3, a protein on immune T cells, pulling the two together. On Sunday it reported updated results from an early trial, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting in Madrid (Xencor release). Patients had received a median of three earlier treatments. Tumors shrank in 30% of 30 patients at the lowest of three doses, 44% of 25 at the middle dose and 45.5% of 11 at the highest. Xencor chose the highest dose for a larger trial against tivozanib, an existing kidney cancer drug, and plans to discuss a faster approval route with the FDA in the first half of 2027.

Tango’s pancreatic cancer response rate slips

Tango Therapeutics, based in Boston, is testing vopimetostat, a pill that blocks an enzyme called PRMT5, in tumors that lack a gene called MTAP. On Friday it reported that vopimetostat plus daraxonrasib, a drug from Revolution Medicines that blocks the cancer protein RAS, shrank tumors in 18 of 22 people with pancreatic cancer that had returned after earlier treatment, or 82% (Tango release). In June the company had reported a 92% rate in 12 patients, and its shares fell on Friday after the update (BioSpace). Serious side effects occurred in 40% of 25 patients at the lower dose, and the higher dose was not well tolerated. Tango plans a late-stage trial against chemotherapy in newly diagnosed patients in the first half of 2027 and will cut its workforce by 14%.

Genmab’s ovarian cancer win weighs on Corcept

Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer is ovarian cancer that has returned soon after platinum chemotherapy. On Friday Genmab, a Danish company, said its drug rinatabart sesutecan, or Rina-S, met the main goal of RAINFOL-02, a late-stage trial against chemotherapy in this disease. Across 584 patients it cut the risk of the cancer growing or of death by 71%, and an early look found a 57% cut in the risk of death (Investing.com). Corcept Therapeutics fell 20.1% on the news, because its drug Lifyorli was approved in March for the same patients (Wall Street Observer). Genmab said it will discuss the results with regulators.

MacroGenics reports early data on a head and neck cancer drug

MacroGenics, based in Rockville, Maryland, is testing MGC026, an antibody-drug conjugate (an antibody that carries a toxic drug to cells bearing a chosen protein) aimed at a protein called B7-H3. On Friday it reported interim results from an early trial of 85 patients (MacroGenics release). In 22 people with head and neck cancer that had returned after a median of three earlier treatments, tumors shrank in six, or 27%, and four of those responses were confirmed. Severe side effects linked to the drug occurred in 51% of all 85 patients, mostly low counts of white and red blood cells. The shares fell 38.0% on Friday. The company expects updated data in mid-2027.

The FDA opens a comment period on Phathom’s exclusivity

Phathom Pharmaceuticals sells Voquezna (vonoprazan), a drug that reduces stomach acid. In 2025 the FDA agreed that Voquezna has ten years of protection from generic copies, through May 3, 2032. On Friday Phathom disclosed that BDR Pharmaceuticals, a generic maker, had sued the FDA to challenge that decision, and its shares fell 18.1% (Phathom 8-K). On Monday morning Phathom said the FDA had opened a public docket to collect comments on the legal questions, with a deadline of November 23rd (Phathom release). Phathom has moved to join the case, and a second generic maker, Saba Ilac, says it plans to combine its own case with BDR’s.

What to watch

ESMO runs in Madrid until October 27th. Comments on the Voquezna docket are due on November 23rd.