ASCO 2023: What to look for at oncology's biggest meeting
stevegeer
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (OTC:ASCO) annual meeting just got underway Friday in Chicago, kicking off the cancer community's largest medical meeting of the year.
The event is closely watched by many investors as companies large and small make significant data presentations.
Here are some companies whose presentations and abstracts investors may want to pay attention to.
Merck's (NYSE:MRK) Keytruda in earlier stages of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Merck (MRK) is trying to get an approval for the oncologic in resectable stage 2, 3A or 3B NSCLC with platinum chemotherapy before surgery and as monotherapy after surgery.
The company is set to present data from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-671 trial on this. The pharma has a supplementary Biologics License Application pending before the US FDA with an Oct. 16 action date.
An interim analysis released in April found that the study met one of its dual primary endpoints, event-free survival.
Coherus BioSciences' (CHRS) toripalimab for first-line triple-negative breast cancer. The biotech will present data from the TORCHLIGHT trial on the PD1 inhibitor.
Top-line data released in February found that the candidate in combination with nab-paclitaxel led to significant improvement in progression-free survival compared to those on nab-paclitaxel alone in patients with stage IV or recurrent/metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
Toripalimab is also under investigation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The FDA was slated to make a decision on the BLA for that indication in December but has been delayed due to site inspection difficulties in China.
AstraZeneca's (NASDAQ:AZN) Imfinizi for ovarian cancer and Tagrisso for NSCLC. The drug giant is set to make two key presentations. The first is on results from the DUO-O trial examining Imfinzi (durvalumab) in combination with platinum based chemotherapy and Avastin (bevacizumab) for newly diagnosed ovarian cancer. The biologic is not yet approved for this cancer type.
An interim analysis released in April found that the combination including Imfinzi showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival compared to an arm with treatment without Imfinzi.
AstraZeneca (AZN) is looking to expand the label of Tagrissa (osimertinib) to include Stage IB-IIIA EGFR+ NSCLC in an adjuvant setting. Top-line data released from the ADUARA trial in March saw Tagrisso led to statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival compared to placebo.
Innovent Biologics' (OTCPK:IVBXF) sintilimab for nasopharyngeal cancer. The Chinese biotech will release data from the CONTINUUM trial examining the PD-1 antibody in combination with chemo and radiation alone compared to chemo and radiation alone.
Sintilimab, which is being jointly developed with Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY), was approved in China for NSCLC in May. In March 2022, the FDA declined to OK sintilimab for NSCLC. 
ImmunoGen's (NASDAQ:IMGN) Elahere for ovarian cancer. The biotech will present data from the confirmatory MIRASOL trial.
Top-line data released in May found that Elahere (mirvetuximab soravtansine) led to significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. The biotech plans to submit applications in the second half of the year seeking full approval of Elahere in both the US and EU.
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