Coherus Oncology (CHRS) Citi's 2024 Global Healthcare Conference summary

Key developments and announcements

• Olema highlighted palazestrant, a complete estrogen receptor antagonist, with promising monotherapy and combination data, and upcoming ribociclib combination results to enable a first-line phase III trial.

• Olema's OPERA-01 and OPERA-02 trials are ongoing, with OPERA-02 enabled by a new PIPE and Novartis collaboration, and a KAT6 inhibitor IND filing expected by year-end.

• Zymeworks celebrated the first approval of zanidatamab in biliary tract cancer and is advancing its 5 by 5 strategy, aiming for five INDs by 2027, now ahead of schedule.

• Coherus received NCCN guideline recognition for LOQTORZI as the preferred nasopharyngeal carcinoma treatment and is expanding its immuno-oncology pipeline.

• Coherus announced the divestiture of UDENYCA to Intas, strengthening its capital structure and focusing on IO innovation.

Pipeline strategies and scientific focus

• Olema targets women's cancers, especially breast cancer, with a mix of established and novel targets, and is opportunistic based on cancer biology.

• Zymeworks employs multiple modalities—antibody-drug conjugates, bispecifics, T cell engagers—and emphasizes deep biological understanding and target optimization.

• Coherus leverages strong clinical hypotheses, biomarker-driven patient selection, and partnerships to advance immuno-oncology assets.

Biomarker and combination strategies

• Olema uses established biomarkers for estrogen receptor and is exploring patient selection for KAT6, focusing on combinations to delay chemotherapy in breast cancer.

• Zymeworks integrates biomarker analysis from early development, designing ADCs for efficacy at low target expression and prioritizing combinability and safety.

• Coherus emphasizes the importance of biomarker-driven development, with IL-27 and CCR8 as key targets, and focuses on tolerability and proof of concept in combinations.