Editor’s Briefing: October 27, 2026

In Short. Merck’s targeted drug helped women with advanced endometrial cancer live about seven months longer than chemotherapy. Amgen, Oruka and Aclaris reported trial results, and Oric fell after a rival prostate cancer drug from Johnson & Johnson.

Merck’s drug extends survival in endometrial cancer

ENDOMETRIAL cancer starts in the lining of the womb. Merck and its partner Kelun-Biotech are testing sacituzumab tirumotecan, or sac-TMT, an antibody-drug conjugate (an antibody that carries a toxic drug to cells bearing a chosen protein) aimed at TROP2, a protein common on tumor cells. On Monday they presented results from TroFuse-005, a late-stage trial in about 776 women whose cancer had grown after platinum chemotherapy and an immune drug (BioSpace). Women on sac-TMT lived for a median of 19.0 months, against 12.1 months on chemotherapy, a 32% cut in the risk of death (Merck release). Tumors shrank in 35.1% of patients on sac-TMT and 17.3% on chemotherapy. Severe side effects were more common on the drug, affecting 265 of 384 treated women against 210 of 367 on chemotherapy (The Lancet02099-4/abstract)). The FDA has accepted Merck’s application for approval and granted it a priority review.

Amgen’s lung cancer drug extends survival as maintenance

Extensive-stage small cell lung cancer is a fast-growing lung cancer that has spread beyond one lung. Imdelltra, from Amgen, is a bispecific antibody (one that grabs two targets at once) that links DLL3, a protein on the cancer cells, to CD3, a protein on immune T cells. It is approved only after platinum chemotherapy fails. In DeLLphi-305, a late-stage trial of 563 patients whose cancer had not grown after first treatment, Amgen added Imdelltra to Imfinzi, an immune drug from AstraZeneca, and compared it with Imfinzi alone (BioSpace). Patients on the pair lived for a median of 21.1 months, against 12.7 months, and the risk of death fell by 58%. Severe side effects occurred in 20.9% on the pair and 10.8% on Imfinzi alone, and nearly half of patients on Imdelltra had cytokine release syndrome, an inflammatory reaction that was mostly mild.

Oric falls on a rival’s prostate cancer data

Oric Pharmaceuticals is testing rinzimetostat in prostate cancer that has spread, in a late-stage trial with darolutamide, a hormone drug from Bayer. Its shares fell 32.0% on Monday after Johnson & Johnson presented early results for JNJ-6143, a rival drug, at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting in Madrid (Yahoo Finance). In men who had already had a median of four treatments, tumors shrank in 12 of 16 with measurable disease at the 50mg dose, or 75%. In 38 men, 77% saw PSA, a blood marker of prostate cancer, fall by at least half. The study was small and had no comparison group. Oric expects its cash and investments of $388m to last into the second half of 2028.

Oruka’s psoriasis antibody clears skin in most patients

Plaque psoriasis is an immune disease that causes thick, scaly patches of skin. Oruka Therapeutics, based in Menlo Park, California, is testing ORKA-001, an antibody that blocks IL-23, an immune signal that drives the disease, and is built to last long enough for one or two doses a year. On Monday it reported 16-week results from EVERLAST-B, a mid-stage trial of 187 patients (Oruka release). At the highest dose, 61% of 46 patients had completely clear skin, against none of 47 on placebo, and 86% had at least a 90% improvement. Side effects were reported in 39% on the high dose and 43% on placebo. Oruka plans late-stage trials in the first half of 2027.

Aclaris reports early data for a two-target antibody

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic itchy rash, and asthma inflames the airways. Both are driven partly by TSLP and IL-4, two immune signals. Aclaris Therapeutics, based in Wayne, Pennsylvania, is testing ATI-052, a bispecific antibody that blocks TSLP and the receptor for IL-4. On Tuesday morning it reported early results from two small trials (Aclaris release). In a trial of 14 people with severe atopic dermatitis, a skin score among those analyzed as planned improved by 58% on the drug and 13% on placebo after 57 days. There were no severe side effects, and no patient developed conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the eye. Aclaris will take the drug next into eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic swelling of the esophagus.