Sutro trims again

Sutro is preparing another restructuring that will reduce its already lean staff by a further third. In March, the company said it would cut its workforce in half after discontinuing its folate receptor alpha (FRα) ADC luveltamab tazevibulin; this programme had looked doomed ever since Genmab opted not to buy Sutro, but its rival ProfoundBio instead. Last month, Sutro reported holding $205m in cash, enough to fund operations into early 2027. With this additional restructuring, plus anticipated near-term milestone payments, the company now expects its runway to extend at least into mid-2027. In the meantime, Sutro expects data from its anti-tissue factor (TF) ADC, STRO-004, in 2026, though the programme is currently preclinical. The company might hope that early results could help it raise funds or attract a partner or buyer, although competition is growing in the TF-ADC space. Pfizer/Genmab’s Tivdak has been approved for cervical cancer for several years, while companies such as Lepu and Evopoint are targeting pancreatic cancer with pivotal studies that are already under way or will soon begin. Several other TF-directed ADCs are advancing in early-phase clinical trials. Beyond STRO-004, Sutro is developing preclinical dual-payload ADCs against undisclosed targets and STRO-006, which hits integrin αvβ6. 

Notable tissue factor-targeting ADCs

Source: OncologyPipeline