Agenus presents updated bot/bal data at ASCO-GI, says H.C. Wainwright

Agenus (AGEN) presented multiple posters and presentations for botensilimab and balstilimab across various treatment lines of colon and colorectal cancers including neoadjuvant, and 1-3L+ metastatic cancer at ASCO-GI, which took place January 23-25, H.C. Wainwright tells investors. Agenus provided updated survival metrics for the NEST study evaluating neoadjuvant bot/bal, saying that across all patients, the the pathologic response rate was 65% and pathologic complete response was 38%, and that in terms of progression free survival, all patients were still alive and had not progressed with a median follow up of 18 months in NEST-1 and 9 months in NEST-2, which the firm views as positive. The firm also notes that there was an evident dose dependent increase in adverse events in NEST-2 vs NEST-1, though the only Grade 3 events were colitis, which is a known AE with bot/bal. H.C. Wainwright made no change to its Neutral rating on the shares.