Novartis' midostaurin to be showcased at ASH; analysts' view

Swiss pharma giant Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) development of the FLT3 inhibitor midostaurin could at long last be nearing the finish line, courtesy of a large, investigator-sponsored acute myeloid leukemia study whose results have been given pride of place at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting’s plenary session due to take place next month, comment analysts at EP Vantage, the editorial arm of Evaluate.

But the bigger question is whether this mechanistic approach is already getting stale, as suggested by the Swiss group’s low-key presence in trials. Investors looking at ASH data outside the hot field of cell therapy will probably find more of interest in studies of venetoclax ([under development by AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV]), a vital newcomer in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and the search for immunotherapy biomarkers, the analysts note.

Midostaurin has been in trials for over a decade, and sellside consensus is for 2020 sales of only $124 million, according to EvaluatePharma.