Corbus Pharmaceuticals (CRBP) Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference 2026 summary

Pipeline overview and clinical progress

• Two lead assets: a Nectin-4 ADC (CRB-701) for oncology and an oral CB1 inverse agonist (CRB-913) for obesity, both in clinical development.

• Recent clinical data readouts for both programs, with additional data expected later in the year and early next year.

CRB-701 (Nectin-4 ADC) clinical data and strategy

• Phase I data in cervical cancer show a confirmed overall response rate in the mid-30% range, about double that of Tivdak, with promising durability (DOR at 8+ months, PFS at 4+ months).

• In head and neck cancer, strong efficacy is observed in HPV-positive (oropharyngeal) patients, with a 43% ORR, while HPV-negative patients show modest responses.

• FDA alignment for single registrational studies in both cervical and oropharyngeal cancers, using physician's choice as control and accelerated approval based on interim response rates.

• The study will focus on anatomical inclusion (oropharyngeal) rather than HPV testing, avoiding the need for a companion diagnostic and leveraging precedent from other ADC and EGFR bispecific studies.

• Market opportunity for second-line oropharyngeal cancer estimated at 14,000 eligible U.S. patients annually, with the HPV-positive population increasing.

Study design and competitive landscape

• Registrational study for oropharyngeal cancer to start in summer, enrolling only oropharyngeal patients, with adaptive design to adjust sample size if needed.

• Study powered for 125 patients per arm, with expectations for control arm ORR in the mid to high teens.

• No other ongoing studies are enrolling oropharyngeal patients exclusively; EGFR bispecific competitors exclude or limit this group.

• Frontline study with KEYTRUDA aims to enroll about two dozen patients by early next year, focusing on efficacy and safety compared to PADCEV, but without high peripheral neuropathy rates.