BiQ: Adding Nuvation Bio to the Active Portfolio (NUVB)

Nuvation Bio (NUVB) is a company I have been watching for a while and became more interested in after the acquisition of AnHeart in 2024, adding two late-stage assets to its pipeline. With the PDUFA date for Taletrectinib now four months away, I thought this would be a good time to re-evaluate the thesis and see if Nuvation Bio was derisked enough to add to the Active Portfolio for Premium members.

Taletrectinib, the first 3rd generation ROS1+ TKI, has demonstrated the potential to be the best-in-class therapy for ROS1+ NSCLC and is under priority review for all lines of treatment. What stands out to me in the data is the best-in-class cORR, mDOR, and mPFS. Combined with the favorable tolerability profile, I think Taletrectinib has the potential to eventually replace Xalkori as the SoC. However, it may take time for oncologists to become comfortable with a new drug, so I expect sales growth to be modest at launch, especially if the company chooses to pursue a GIA strategy.

Some potential tailwinds for Taletrectinib uptake are: