BRIEF—ALX Oncology bags two fast track designations in one

The US Food and Drug Administration has granted fast track designation to ALX Oncology’s lead candidate in two indications.

ALX is an immuno-oncology company developing therapies to block the CD47 checkpoint mechanism, and it raised $105 million in a Series C financing this month.

The company’s lead drug, ALX148, has been granted fast track designation for the first-line treatment of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and for the second-line treatment of patients with HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction carcinoma.

ALX148 has shown encouraging data in Phase I trials in both indications.