EHA 2026 preview – Bristol’s celmod reveal
Golcadomide and iberdomide are set to feature at EHA.
Golcadomide and iberdomide are set to feature at EHA.
While most of the abstracts for the upcoming European Hematology Association congress are now available to view, mystery surrounds two presentations covering Bristol Myers Squibb’s cereblon modulators golcadomide and iberdomide. Neither has a plenary slot, but both remained embargoed as of 18 May.
Also under wraps for now is the Frontmind trial of Incyte’s Monjuvi, toplined positive in January and due to be presented at EHA’s Saturday plenary session. Meanwhile, among EHA’s regular oral presentations interest could fall on a type II JAK2 inhibitor whose originator, Ajax, was acquired by Lilly just last month.
ApexOnco separately covered another key EHA plenary, the Monumental-3 trial of Johnson & Johnson’s Talvey, for which abstract data have already been made public. The same goes for presentations of the rival BTK degraders bexobrutideg (from Nurix) and BGB-16673 (BeOne), though it’s possible that more mature results, including safety data, will be presented at EHA.
Meanwhile, nothing is known about late-breaking EHA presentations, with neither the abstract texts nor titles having been made public yet.
Celmod secrecy
It’s not clear why EHA has so far kept back Bristol’s golcadomide and iberdomide abstracts. It’s not been disclosed what study of the former is to be presented at EHA, although it's in first-line B-cell lymphoma.
Iberdomide, a possible replacement for the off-patent Revlimid, is awaiting a 17 August FDA decision on its approvability for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, and the EHA presentation concerns its Ideal study, in front-line disease. EHA will also see data on another Bristol multiple myeloma project, the anti-GPRC5D Car-T arlocabtagene autoleucel.
Selected EHA 2026 presentations
| Project | Mechanism | Company | Setting | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 12 Jun | ||||
| Ofirnoflast | NEK7 inhibitor | Halia Therapeutics | Low-risk MDS | S174 |
| Favezelimab + pembro FDC | Lag3/PD-1 MAb coformulation | Merck & Co | R/r Hodgkin’s lymphoma | S220 |
| Vispa-cel | CD19 Car-T (allo) | Caribou | R/r NHL | S236 |
| Golcadomide | Cereblon modulator | Bristol Myers Squibb | 1st-line B-cell lymphoma | S239* |
| Sat 13 Jun | ||||
| Monjuvi | CD19 MAb | Incyte (ex Novartis) | 1st-line DLBCL | S101 (plenary)* |
| Tecvayli | BCMA T-cell engager | J&J | 1st-line multiple myeloma maintenance, +/- Revlimid | S197 |
| Iberdomide | Cereblon modulator | Bristol Myers Squibb | 1st-line multiple myeloma | S199* |
| INCA033989 | CALRmut MAb | Incyte | R/r myelofibrosis | S216 |
| Bezuclastinib | KIT inhibitor | Cogent Biosciences | Advanced systemic mastocytosis | S217 |
| AJ1-11095 | Type II JAK2 inhibitor | Lilly (ex Ajax) | Myelofibrosis after failure on type I JAK2 inhibition | S218 |
| Sun 14 Jun | ||||
| Arlo-cel | GPRC5D Car-T | Bristol Myers Squibb | 2nd-4th line multiple myeloma | S200 |
| CB-011 | BCMA Car-T (allo) | Caribou | 4th-line+ multiple myeloma | S201 |
| OL-101 | GPRC5D x BCMA Car-T | Overland Therapeutics | Multiple myeloma post GPRC5D or BCMA | S285 |
| PMB-CT01 | BAFF-R Car-T | PeproMene | R/r B-cell lymphoma post CD19 | S287 |
Notes: late-breaking abstracts not revealed as at 18 May; *no abstract text available as at 18 May.
For Lilly the Ajax move was one of several recent oncology acquisitions, bringing in the type II JAK2 inhibitor AJ1-11095, for which proof-of-concept data were promised later this year.
These data, to be presented at EHA, concern 20 myelofibrosis patients who had failed on Novartis/Incyte’s Jakafi, with the abstract revealing 13 of these reaching 35% or greater spleen volume reduction (SVR35) after 12 weeks; two others attained SVR35 in dose escalation. The Ajax takeover was said to be worth $2.3bn, but the up-front amount wasn’t disclosed.
Incyte itself will have myelofibrosis data at EHA, from two studies of its anti-CALRm MAb INCA033989, earlier detailed at last year’s ASH conference. As for trials toplined positive but yet to report full results, the Apex study of Cogent’s KIT inhibitor bezuclastinib in advanced systemic mastocytosis will be presented on 13 June; a US filing is due to be submitted in the second half.
At least one company isn’t shying away from presenting negative data, with Merck & Co set to feature the Keyform-008 study of the anti-Lag3 MAb favezelimab coformulated with pembrolizumab on 12 June. Favezelimab was discontinued in December 2024, and the Lag3 mechanism has continued to disappoint, with Regeneron revealing the phase 3 failure of fianlimab in first-line melanoma just last week.
Keyform-008 concerned relapsed Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and the EHA abstract shows a technical win versus chemo on PFS (HR=0.757, p=0.0462), a result said to “warrant cautious interpretation”; there’s also a numerical trend on OS, but response rates are notably higher with chemo (68%) than with the Merck combo (44%).
Elsewhere, Legend investors might be hoping for first data with that company’s in vivo Car-T therapy LVIVO-TaVec100/LB2501, which targets CD19 and CD20, and which Evercore ISI analysts have said might be coming at EHA. However, no abstracts revealed so far concern this project, leaving the possibility that results might come in one of the still undisclosed late-breakers.
The 2026 EHA congress takes place in Stockholm on 11-14 June.
Link to OncologyPipeline project
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