Nuvectis Reports Complete Brain Tumor Responses as Big Pharma Pays Billions for Cancer Drugs (NASDAQ: NVCT)

WSW, NY, October 26th, 2026, FinanceWire

Tumors shrank in 22 of 27 patients treated with NXP200 alone. The results give Nuvectis a clinical foundation in a drug class that has already produced multibillion-dollar businesses.

Nuvectis Pharma (NASDAQ: NVCT) reported four complete responses in a Phase 1b study of its oral cancer drug NXP200 in patients with BRAF V600-mutated gliomas, a group of brain tumors. Tumors shrank in 22 of 27 patients with recurrent or progressive disease. One of the high-grade complete responses was preliminary at the data cutoff.

The expanded results, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Madrid, arrive in an industry putting substantial money behind targeted cancer treatments. This year, Servier completed its approximately $2.5 billion acquisition of Day One Biopharmaceuticals, whose approved medicine treats certain childhood brain tumors. Merck's approximately $6.7 billion Terns transaction added an experimental oral drug for a genetically defined blood cancer.

Nuvectis' entire equity market capitalization was approximately $653 million at the October 23 close. NXP200 is one of three programs behind that valuation.

The depth of the responses stands out

The study, conducted in China by Nuvectis' partner Haisco, included 20 patients with high-grade glioma and seven with low-grade glioma as of May 4, 2026, all with disease that had returned or progressed. While the uncontrolled Phase 1b cohort is small, the results show substantial tumor reductions with a single drug.

Eight of the 20 high-grade patients achieved an objective response, a 40% response rate. Three of seven low-grade patients responded, or 42.9%. Objective response means meeting defined clinical criteria for a partial or complete response, rather than simply recording some shrinkage on a scan.

Among the responders, seven of eight in the high-grade group and two of three in the low-grade group had greater than 80% reductions in tumor burden. Together, that is nine of 11 responders with exceptionally large reductions. The four complete responses included three in high-grade disease and one in low-grade disease.

A complete response requires disappearance of the lesions being assessed, together with other clinical conditions under the study's assessment criteria. Follow-up determines how long that response lasts. Nuvectis reported a median response duration of 6.97 months in high-grade disease; the median had not been reached in low-grade disease.

The safety results also support continued development. Among 28 safety-evaluable patients, 14.3% experienced a treatment-related adverse event of grade 3 or higher. No treatment-related adverse event caused treatment discontinuation or death.

“The rate and durability of the responses reported with single-agent NXP200 in patients with recurrent or progressive gliomas are very encouraging,” said Ron Bentsur, Nuvectis' chairman and CEO.

An established benchmark helps explain the interest. In the Phase 2 ROAR study, dabrafenib plus trametinib produced investigator-assessed responses in 15 of 45 high-grade glioma patients, or 33%, including three complete responses. NXP200's reported 40% response rate with one drug provides encouraging historical context. Differences in populations, assessment criteria and follow-up prevent a superiority conclusion, while the monotherapy activity supports continued development.

Large drugmakers have already paid for this opportunity

Servier completed the Day One acquisition in April. The business included Ojemda, a BRAF-targeting drug approved for certain relapsed or refractory pediatric low-grade gliomas, alongside additional oncology assets. Its approved product and commercial operations put Day One at a later stage than NXP200, while demonstrating the strategic value a molecularly selected brain cancer business can achieve.

The broader BRAF precedent is larger still. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) agreed to acquire Array BioPharma in 2019 for approximately $11.4 billion in enterprise value. Array brought approved BRAF/MEK cancer medicines, a colorectal cancer expansion program and other pipeline and royalty assets.

More recently, Merck (NYSE: MRK) announced its approximately $6.7 billion Terns acquisition in March and completed it in May. Terns' lead candidate targets a different cancer-driving protein, illustrating how much value large drugmakers can place on a potentially differentiated oral cancer medicine before approval.

The brain cancer results could support a wider program

BRAF is a protein involved in the signals that tell cells to grow. Certain mutations leave that signaling switched on. Drugs that interrupt it can therefore address cancers sharing the same molecular driver, even when those cancers originate in different organs.

NXP200 is designed to enter the brain and block BRAF signaling while avoiding the unintended pathway activation associated with older BRAF inhibitors. Nuvectis licensed exclusive rights outside Greater China in June. China subsequently granted the program breakthrough therapy designation for recurrent or progressive BRAF V600-mutated high-grade glioma.

The latest results contain another signal worth following: two of three patients previously treated with a BRAF inhibitor achieved partial responses; the third had stable disease. Establishing activity in a larger previously treated population could help define where NXP200 fits as cancers evolve through existing therapies.

Nuvectis has also disclosed early single-agent activity in colorectal, lung and papillary thyroid cancers. The company expects further Phase 1b updates, including in additional tumor types.

The company raised $115 million gross in July and has guided to cash runway into the first half of 2029. Its pipeline also includes ciprocopan, approved in China for a rare blood disorder, and the oncology candidate NXP900.

The deal history shows why a promising BRAF drug can matter beyond its first indication. Nuvectis targets a U.S. investigational new drug application by year-end, with further clinical updates expected. The next data could show whether the brain tumor responses are the beginning of a broader oncology franchise.

Recent News Highlights from Nuvectis Pharma (NASDAQ: NVCT)

Nuvectis Reports Positive Data from NXP200 Phase 1b Study Demonstrating Durable Responses, Including Complete Responses, in BRAF V600-mutated Recurrent or Progressive Gliomas

Nuvectis Pharma to Participate in the Maxim Growth Summit 2026

Nuvectis Announces NXP200 Granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation in China for BRAF V600-Mutant, Recurrent or Progressive, High-Grade Glioma

Nuvectis Pharma To Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences

Nuvectis Pharma Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Business Highlights

Ciprocopan (NXP100) Receives Marketing Approval in China for the Treatment of Patients with PNH Previously Untreated with Complement Inhibitors

Nuvectis Pharma Announces Pricing of $100 Million Public Offering of Common Stock

Nuvectis Announces Strategic Portfolio Expansion via License Agreement for Ex-China Rights with Haisco Pharmaceutical Group for Two Potentially Best-In Class Clinical-Stage Compounds

Important Disclaimers and Disclosures: Wall Street Wire is a media and content technology platform covering capital markets and emerging public companies. Nuvectis Pharma, Inc. (the "Issuer") is a paid subscriber to Wall Street Wire's Market Discovery Program, under which Wall Street Wire publishes and distributes content concerning the Issuer in exchange for an ongoing cash subscription fee. This commercial relationship creates a conflict of interest, and the coverage is not independent. Wall Street Wire is not a broker-dealer or investment adviser, and its content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell securities. This article may contain forward-looking statements concerning the Issuer's business and prospects that involve risks and uncertainties; actual results may differ materially. Readers should review the Issuer's public filings on SEC EDGAR (sec.gov/edgar) for applicable risk factors. References to market size estimates, valuations, price targets, or other third-party data are provided strictly for informational purposes. Market size figures, research estimates, or other third-party data referenced in this article are quoted from publicly available sources believed to be reliable; however, we do not independently verify or endorse them, and additional figures or estimates may exist. Full compensation details, information about Wall Street Wire's operator, and additional disclosures are available at wallstwire.ai/disclosures. This article is not an official communication of the Issuer. Images may be computer generated and are for entertainment and visualization purposes only, and may not be an accurate or exact depiction of the technology.

Contact