Meet MacroGenics' new B7-H3, a bit like its old B7-H3

Once MacroGenics at last scrapped its B7-H3-targeting ADC vobramitamab duocarmazine its hope turned to the follow-on asset MGC026. The latest list of international non-proprietary names, however, confirms that the two are pretty similar, both using the MAb vobramitamab, and differing only in linkers and payloads, the latter using a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor payload versus vobra-duo’s DNA alkylating agent. The latest, 133rd iteration of the proposed INN list, published by the World Health Organization, reveals MGC026 to use tavatecan, a warhead developed by Synaffix, which also licensed it to Innovent for use in the anti-Claudin18.2 ADC IBI343. MMAE payloads remain out of favour, the list showing these in just four newly named ADCs, including AstraZeneca's LaNova-originated AZD0305. Astra continues to use a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor warhead, samrotecan, in AZD9829, while a novel exatecan payload/linker is employed in the still preclinical anti-Steap2 ADC AZD0516, profiled at AACR. Elsewhere, AbbVie's anti-SEZ6 asset is confirmed as using the same adizutecan warhead as its teliso-V follow-on. And disclosure of the proposed INN for DualityBio/BioNTech's BNT325 might come as a surprise; this reveals the MAb employed by BNT325 to be sacituzumab, meaning that three of the four highest-profile anti-TROP2 ADCs all use this same antibody.

ADCs with recently proposed INNs

Source: WHO & OncologyPipeline.