BioMed Nexus Daily Updates
Your essential biotech, medtech, and pharma recap — no noise, just what matters.
📌TL;DR
ASCO 2026 opened today at McCormick Place in Chicago. More than 40,000 attendees. More than 7,000 abstracts. The plenary session is tomorrow (Saturday May 31): Revolution Medicines RASolute 302 full data, Akeso ivonescimab OS in squamous NSCLC, and J&J Erleada PROTEUS in prostate cancer. We will cover the plenary data in Monday's email.
Lantheus Holdings (LNTH) is weighing a potential sale after receiving a take-private offer from PE-backed Curium Pharma that values the radiopharmaceutical company at approximately $7B, according to Bloomberg. Lantheus is the maker of PyL (prostate cancer imaging) and DEFINITY (cardiac imaging).
The FDA approved AbbVie's Decnupaz (pivekimab sunirine) for adults with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), a rare and aggressive blood cancer. This is the second FDA-approved treatment for BPDCN.
BridgeBio Pharma (BBIO) announced that the FDA accepted its NDA with Priority Review for oral BBP-418 (ribitol) for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I/R9, a rare and progressive muscle-wasting disease.
Your ASCO field guide is live. Searchable, filterable, catalyst-aware. Bookmark it → biomednexus.com/asco-2026
⚡ Executive Takeaway
ASCO is live. The energy in Chicago is focused squarely on tomorrow's plenary. Revolution Medicines' full RASolute 302 dataset will be the most scrutinized presentation of the year. We know the headline numbers (13.2 months OS vs. 6.7 months, HR 0.40). What we need: PFS data, subgroup analyses across RAS mutation variants, mature survival curves, and detailed safety. If the data hold up, Truist projects an approval by end of Q3 under the CNPV program. Beyond ASCO, two stories illustrate the breadth of activity across life sciences today. Lantheus receiving a $7B take-private offer from Curium underscores how hot the radiopharmaceutical space has become. Novartis's Pluvicto grew 70% in Q1. Multiple radioligand therapy programs are in clinical development. And now PE capital wants in. A take-private at $7B would be one of the largest radiopharmaceutical transactions in history. Meanwhile, AbbVie and BridgeBio both received positive FDA actions in rare disease, a reminder that while ASCO dominates the headlines, the broader regulatory machinery continues to produce approvals and acceptances across therapeutic areas. 👉 Read Full Analysis
🔮 What To Watch
ASCO Plenary (TOMORROW, Saturday May 31):
Revolution Medicines: Full Phase 3 RASolute 302 data (Brian Wolpin, Dana-Farber). PFS, subgroups, survival curves. Could trigger CNPV filing.
Akeso ivonescimab: Overall survival in squamous NSCLC (HARMONi-6). Could establish a Keytruda challenger.
J&J Erleada PROTEUS: "Paradigm shift" in high-risk prostate cancer. Opens the plenary.
Lantheus/Curium: Whether Lantheus engages or rejects the offer. A $7B deal would validate radiopharmaceuticals as a standalone investment thesis.
BridgeBio BBP-418 PDUFA Date: Priority Review typically yields a 6-month review cycle. PDUFA expected late 2026 or early 2027.
📊 MedTech & Radiopharmaceuticals
Lantheus Weighs $7B Take-Private Offer from Curium Pharma LNTH
Bloomberg reported on May 23 that Lantheus Holdings is weighing a potential sale after receiving a take-private offer from Curium Pharma, a PE-backed radiopharmaceutical company, that values Lantheus at approximately $7B. Lantheus is a leading radiopharmaceutical diagnostics company, best known for PyL (PSMA PET imaging for prostate cancer) and DEFINITY (cardiac perfusion imaging). The company sits at the intersection of nuclear medicine and precision oncology, two of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. Novartis's Pluvicto (radioligand therapy for prostate cancer) grew 70% in Q1, validating the commercial potential of the broader radiopharmaceutical category. A take-private would remove Lantheus from public markets and give Curium a combined radiopharmaceutical platform with significant commercial scale.
🔬 Clinical & Regulatory
AbbVie's Decnupaz Approved for Rare Blood Cancer ABBV
The FDA approved AbbVie's Decnupaz (pivekimab sunirine) on May 28 for adults with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), according to The Pharma Letter. BPDCN is a rare and aggressive blood cancer with very limited treatment options. AbbVie's hematology portfolio continues to expand alongside its immunology and oncology franchises.
BridgeBio Gets Priority Review for Muscular Dystrophy Drug BBIO
BridgeBio Pharma announced that the FDA accepted its NDA with Priority Review for oral BBP-418 (ribitol) for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I/R9 (LGMD2I/R9), a rare progressive muscle-wasting disease caused by mutations in the FKRP gene. If approved, BBP-418 would be the first FDA-approved treatment for any form of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. BridgeBio has been building a rare disease portfolio alongside its cardiovascular franchise (Attruby for ATTR-CM).
📅 The Weekend and Beyond
TOMORROW (May 31): ASCO plenary sessions (Revolution, Akeso, J&J)
June 2: ASCO closes
June 4: Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference (New York)
June 2026: Takeda CEO transition (Julie Kim)
July 1: Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program launches
🔓 BioMed Nexus Pro: Institutional Intelligence Brief
🧠 Tomorrow's Plenary: What Each Dataset Needs to Show
Revolution Medicines RASolute 302: Must confirm: PFS data (HR <0.50 expected), subgroup consistency across RAS mutation variants (G12D, G12V, G12C), sustained survival curve separation, clean safety profile. Must address: contribution of each RAS variant to the overall effect, whether wild-type RAS patients benefit, dose modifications and treatment duration. If confirmed: CNPV filing expected within weeks. Truist Q3 approval.
Akeso Ivonescimab HARMONi-6 OS: Must confirm: overall survival superiority over tislelizumab plus chemo in squamous NSCLC. Must address: whether the PD-1/VEGF bispecific approach translates to a survival benefit, not just a PFS benefit. The HARMONi-02 data showed ivonescimab beat Keytruda in PFS. OS data will determine whether a Chinese bispecific can challenge the global IO standard.
J&J Erleada PROTEUS: Must confirm: benefit of adding apalutamide before and after surgery in high-risk localized/locally advanced prostate cancer. Must address: whether intensifying treatment in the perioperative setting improves disease-free survival enough to change practice. pharmaphorum described it as a potential "paradigm shift."
💊 Radiopharmaceuticals: The Investment Thesis
The radiopharmaceutical sector has three converging drivers:
Clinical validation: Novartis Pluvicto (+70% Q1 growth) proved that radioligand therapy works commercially in prostate cancer. Multiple radioligand programs are in development for breast cancer, lung cancer, and neuroendocrine tumors.
Diagnostic foundation: PSMA PET imaging (Lantheus PyL, Novartis Locametz) has become standard of care for prostate cancer staging. The diagnostic-therapeutic link (identify patients with imaging, treat with radioligand therapy) creates a vertically integrated commercial model.
PE interest: Curium's $7B offer for Lantheus signals that private equity sees radiopharmaceuticals as an undervalued asset class. The combination of Curium's manufacturing network and Lantheus's diagnostic franchise would create the largest independent radiopharmaceutical company in the world.
📊 ASCO by the Numbers
40,000+ attendees
7,000+ abstracts
3 plenary presentations (Revolution, Akeso, J&J)
Key themes: ADC combos (sac-TMT + Keytruda 65% PFS), bispecific antibodies (ivonescimab, teclistamab), RAS inhibitors (daraxonrasib), radioligand therapies (Pluvicto updates)
Most watched: Revolution RASolute 302 (Saturday plenary)
🎯 Catalyst Calendar: ASCO Weekend and Beyond
Date | Event | Tickers |
|---|---|---|
TOMORROW May 31 | ASCO plenary: Revolution RASolute 302, Akeso ivonescimab OS, J&J Erleada PROTEUS | RVMD, MRK, JNJ |
June 2 | ASCO closes | Multiple |
June 4 | Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference (New York) | Multiple |
June 2026 | Takeda CEO transition (Julie Kim) | TAK |
Late Q2 | Lilly Foundayo T2D filing under CNPV | LLY |
Q3 2026 | Revolution Medicines daraxonrasib approval projected (Truist) | RVMD |
July 1 | Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program launches | LLY, NVO |
Q3 2026 | Teva/Emalex close expected | TEVA |
July 31 | Section 232 pharma tariffs effective (large companies) | Multiple |
Late 2026/Early 2027 | BridgeBio BBP-418 PDUFA (Priority Review) | BBIO |
Dec 2026 | Mineralys lorundrostat PDUFA | MLYS |
H2 2026 | Merck sac-TMT global filing expected | MRK |
H2 2026 | Foundayo T2D regulatory action expected | LLY |
2026 | TRIUMPH-2 (retatrutide T2D) readout expected | LLY |
2027 | Retatrutide launch anticipated (BMO) | LLY |
Dec 7 | Lilly Investment Community Meeting | LLY |
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