May 15 Company Quick Takes: Approvals for Bavencio in RCC, Venclexta-Gazyva combo; plus Adaptimmune, Alpine, Advaxis

Bavencio gets RCC approval with Inlyta
FDA approved Bavencio avelumab from Merck KGaA (Xetra:MRK) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) for first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma in combination with Pfizer's Inlyta axitinib, making Bavencio the first anti-PD-L1 therapy approved for the indication. Inlyta is approved for the same indication in combination with anti-PD-1 Keytruda pembrolizumab (see “Keytruda Combo Gains FDA Approval In First-line RCC”).

FDA approves cancer combo from AbbVie, Genentech
FDA approved a combination of Venclexta venetoclax from AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) and Gazyva obinutuzumab from the Genentech Inc. unit of Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) to treat treatment-naïve chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma. The combo was approved under FDA’s real-time oncology review pilot program. Venclexta is a small molecule BCL-2 inhibitor and Gazyva is a glycoengineered humanized mAb against CD20...