Juno Therapeutics Shows Promise With Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Drug

Juno Therapeutics Inc JUNO opened sharply higher after reporting third-quarter earnings after the close Wednesday.

The report highlighted ASH abstracts on JCAR017, a non-Hodgkin lymphoma drug, showing promising efficacy and solid safety in r/r DLBCL, Barclays analyst Gena Wang said in a note. Juno also reported that BLA filing is on track in the second half of 2018, and that a TRANSCEND study update demonstrated durable and consistent responses for JCAR017 in r/r DLBCL, "especially in the core patient group," Wang said. (See Wang's track record here.) 

Outpatient administration could potentially further differentiate JCAR017 from its competition, said Wang. Better understanding of the CRS profile and treatment course would provide valuable information on the feasibility of outpatient administration of the drug, the analyst said. 

Wang expects that pivotal trial initiation in the BCMA CAR-T program will start in the second half of 2018. The first phase of the trial should be initiated in early 2018, while phase two should start six months later, she said. BCMA CAR-T could further differentiate the company from the competition, the analyst said.

Initial clinical data from Juno's solid tumor programs is expected in April 2018, Wang said. 

Barclays has an Overweight on Juno Therapeutics with a $55 price target. 

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