Big Pharma Doubles Down on Cancer Treatments, Sending IBRX and SLS into Overdrive

Pfizer's Seagen portfolio grew 21% in the U.S., excluding a year-earlier stocking benefit. The growth is attributed to the expansion of Padcev and Keytruda combination, which showed a 35% reduction in the risk of death for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla stated that the combination could be 'practice-changing' for over 42,000 U.S. patients. The company is also developing more antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to deliver cancer-killing drugs directly to tumor cells and a dual-action antibody to help the immune system attack cancer.

Merck's Keytruda generated $8.4 billion in quarterly sales, up 4%. Merck is preparing for life beyond Keytruda by developing sac-TMT, an ADC that delivers cancer-killing medicine directly to tumor cells carrying a protein called Trop-2. The company is testing it in 17 Phase 3 trials across several cancers.

Amgen is pursuing the same survival-focused strategy with T-cell engagers, which help immune cells recognize and attack cancer cells. ImmunityBio's Anktiva aligns with Big Pharma's push toward bladder-preserving, immune-based cancer treatments. Sellas' Phase 3 Regal trial is testing GPS as maintenance therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was 'bullish' for IBRX amid 'high' message volume, while SLS sentiment remained 'neutral' amid 'normal' levels of chatter. Traders predict that GPS and SLS009 would generate billions of dollars in sales over the next decade.