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ARVN Stock Plunges 53% Following Mixed Data From Breast Cancer Study

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Shares of Arvinas (ARVN - Free Report) plummeted 52.7% on Tuesday after the company and partner, Pfizer (PFE - Free Report) , announced mixed results from a late-stage breast cancer study of its lead candidate, vepdegestrant. PFE shares were also down 2.4% on Tuesday following the news release.

Vepdegestrant is being developed in the phase III VERITAC-2 study as a monotherapy in adult patients with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ER+/HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) compared to AstraZeneca’s (AZN - Free Report) Faslodex (fulvestrant). The patient population includes those whose disease progressed following prior treatment with CDK 4/6 inhibitors and endocrine therapy.

ARVN/PFE’s Breast Cancer Study Results in Detail

Arvinas/Pfizer’s VERITAC-2 study achieved its primary endpoint in the estrogen receptor 1-mutant (ESR1m) patient population. It showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) upon treatment with vepdegestrant compared to AstraZeneca’s Faslodex. The results surpassed the pre-specified target hazard ratio of 0.60 for the ESR1m population.

However, the study did not demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in PFS for the intent-to-treat population, which included all patients who received the candidate, regardless of whether they adhered to or finished treatment. This outcome disappointed the investors, driving down the share prices of both companies.

Vepdegestrant is an orally bioavailable PROTAC protein degrader and enjoys the FDA’s Fast Track designation as a monotherapy to treat MBC in the United States.

In six months, Arvinas shares have plunged 66.9% compared with the industry’s 9.6% decline.

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At the time of analysis, overall survival — a key secondary endpoint of the study was not mature, as fewer than a quarter of the required events had occurred. The study will continue to monitor overall survival. Vepdegestrant was generally well-tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with previous studies. Detailed findings from VERITAC-2 will be presented at a medical meeting later this year and shared with global regulatory authorities to potentially support regulatory submissions.

ARVN projects that nearly 320,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025, with ER+/HER2- cases accounting for about 70%. Around 30% of women initially diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer eventually develop MBC, the most advanced stage where the disease spreads beyond the breast.

Arvinas signed a collaboration agreement with Pfizer in 2021 to co-develop and co-commercialize vepdegestrant for the treatment of MBC. Per the deal, ARVN and PFE share worldwide development costs, commercialization expenses and profits.

AstraZeneca’s Faslodex, administered as an intramuscular injection, is currently approved in the United States for the MBC indication. Having lost patent protection, the drug’s sales have been facing generic competition.

ARVN’s Zacks Rank and Another Stock to Consider

Arvinas currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Another top-ranked stock from the sector is Gilead Sciences (GILD - Free Report) , carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

In the past 30 days, Gilead Sciences’ earnings estimate for 2025 has improved from $7.60 to $7.87 per share. During the same timeframe, the estimate for earnings per share for 2026 has improved from $7.93 to $8.27. In six months, shares of Gilead Sciences have gained 38.2%.

GILD’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 19.47%.


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