Novartis AG / Aduro Biotech, Inc. (STING pathway program)

Solid Tumors (Immuno-Oncology)

2M US cases/yr

Disease Overview

Solid tumors collectively account for the majority of the ~2.0M annual US cancer diagnoses (NCI SEER). Despite checkpoint-inhibitor success in subsets (melanoma, NSCLC, RCC, MSI-H), most patients either fail to respond or progress, motivating efforts to convert 'cold' (non-T-cell-inflamed) tumors to 'hot' through innate-immune activation. The STING pathway — Stimulator of Interferon Genes — was a leading target hypothesis for this conversion, intended to broaden checkpoint-responsive populations.

Competitive Landscape

At the 2015 deal signing, the immuno-oncology landscape was anchored by Bristol Myers Squibb's Opdivo and Yervoy, Merck's Keytruda, and Roche's Tecentriq (approved 2016), with PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy already showing the durable-but-narrow response problem that STING agonists were designed to address. The competing STING agonist programs included Merck/IFM Therapeutics (MK-1454, later acquired via the 2019 IFM Due deal worth up to $2.3B), GSK/Spring Bank (SB 11285), and BMS-986301. ADU-S100 was the most-watched program given Aduro's first-mover position, the $750M Novartis commitment, and the Glenn Dranoff-led Novartis IO research group launched alongside the deal. The Phase 1b ADU-S100 + spartalizumab combination ultimately delivered only ~10.4% ORR with no clear dose-response, leading Novartis to drop the program in December 2019 (Endpoints News: 'the latest in a long line of setbacks'). Aduro's stock crashed 40%+ on the June 2019 ASCO update and another 14% on Novartis's December exit. The franchise was eventually written off; Aduro merged with Chinook Therapeutics in 2020. The deal is now a benchmark cautionary tale for high-priced upfronts on novel immuno-modulatory mechanisms with limited clinical de-risking. Sources: https://endpts.com/after-taking-a-hard-look-at-the-data-novartis-punts-aduros-sting-drug-the-latest-in-a-long-line-of-setbacks/ ; https://aacrjournals.org/clincancerres/article/29/1/110/711972/Combination-of-the-STING-Agonist-MIW815-ADU-S100