Pfizer and Astellas announced positive topline Phase III results in non-metastatic prostate cancer for Xtandi, one of the top-selling drugs in Pfizer’s portfolio set to lose patent exclusivity this decade.

Merck & Co’s combination treatment has disappointed in a challenging group of lung cancer patients, marking yet another setback for the increasingly precarious anti-TIGIT space even as some analysts say this is not the end of the road.

Pfizer’s $43bn agreement to acquire Seagen would layer its portfolio and pipeline with vastly complex antibody-drug conjugates – a class of drug that execs feel might be almost immune to biosimilar competition. Generic firms’ history of frustration with ADCs suggests they may be right.

Seagen’s pipeline includes 11 new molecular entities and would double Pfizer’s early-stage oncology clinical pipeline. A next-generation cytotoxic payload for ADCs is on the way too.