Bloomberg Businessweek Vir Bio's Cancer Treatment Progress Driving Shares Hight
Mar 2, 2026
Marianne De Backer, CEO of Vir Biotechnology and leader in immune-powered medicines, talks about VIR-5500, a PSMA-targeting T‑cell engager for advanced prostate cancer. She discusses striking early trial signals, imaging-confirmed tumor responses, plans to expand into combination studies, and a strategic 50-50 partnership with Astellas to speed development.
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VIR-5500 Shows Rapid Deep Responses In Late-Line Prostate Cancer
- Vir's PSMA-targeting T-cell engager VIR-5500 shows strong early efficacy with 82% PSA50 and 53% PSA90 in 22 patients at efficacious doses.
- Some heavily pretreated mCRPC patients had dramatic tumor and liver lesion reductions within nine weeks, including a 99% PSA drop in one case.
Efficacy With Better Tolerability Through In Situ T-Cell Activation
- VIR-5500 combined promising efficacy with a favorable tolerability and safety profile compared with many prostate cancer therapies.
- The drug activates existing tumor-infiltrating T cells without removing or engineering them, explaining strong activity with simpler administration.
Patient Case With 14 Liver Lesions Clearing In Nine Weeks
- Marianne described a 63-year-old patient with five prior therapies who had 14 liver lesions and showed near-complete disappearance after nine weeks on VIR-5500.
- That patient experienced a 99% PSA decline and clear imaging improvement, which the team found emotionally striking.