Candel Reports Upbeat Data From Lung Cancer Study

Candel Therapeutics, Inc. CADL announced overall survival data from a phase II study evaluating its lead investigational adenovirus immunotherapy candidate, CAN-2409 plus valacyclovir (prodrug), together with standard of care (SoC) in patients with stage III/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are non-responsive to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Data from the study showed that treatment with two administrations of CAN-2409 plus valacyclovir led to a median overall survival of 20.6 months in NSCLC patients whose disease had progressed despite receiving prior anti-PD-1 treatment.

The data will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which is scheduled to be held from May 31 to Jun 4, 2024.

Per the press release, the above mentioned data was in context to earlier published data, which demonstrated a median overall survival of 11.6 months observed with standard-of-care docetaxel-based chemotherapy in a similar patient population.

Importantly, treatment with CAN-2409 exhibited a favorable safety and tolerability profile in NSCLC patients as of the data cut-off date.

Despite the upbeat data, shares of Candel were down in pre-market trading on May 23. The stock has skyrocketed 627.2% year to date against the industry's decline of 4.3%.

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Apart from NSCLC, CAN-2409 is also being developed for several cancer indications, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and prostate cancer.

Last month, CADL announced positive interim data from the phase II study evaluating CAN-2409 plus valacyclovir, together with SoC chemoradiation, followed by resection for borderline resectable PDAC.

The updated interim data from the ongoing phase II study showed that experimental treatment with CAN-2409 led to notable improvements in estimated median overall survival of 28.8 months compared with only 12.5 months in the control group in borderline resectable PDAC.

The FDA granted Fast Track designation to CAN-2409 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and NSCLC.

In the absence of a marketed product, the successful development of its pipeline candidates remains the key focus for this clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Candel currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the healthcare sector are Krystal Biotech, Inc. KRYS, Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. MRNS and Minerva Neurosciences, Inc. NERV, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Krystal Biotech's 2024 earnings per share have improved from $1.61 to $2.06. Earnings per share estimates for 2025 have improved from $3.69 to $4.33. Year to date, shares of KRYS have surged 31.9%.

KRYS's earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed the same on the remaining two occasions, the average negative surprise being 21.46%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Marinus Pharmaceuticals' 2024 loss per share have narrowed from $2.44 to $1.87, while loss per share estimates for 2025 have narrowed from $1.97 to 90 cents. Year to date, shares of MRNS have plunged 88%.

MRNS's earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters, met the same once and missed the same once, the average surprise being 3.27%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Minerva Neurosciences' 2024 loss per share have narrowed from $3.57 to $1.89. Loss per share estimates for 2025 have narrowed from $4.54 to $3.60. Year to date, shares of NERV have declined 59.1%.

NERV's earnings beat estimates in one of the trailing four quarters while missing the same in the remaining three occasions, the average negative surprise being 54.43%.

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