Precision Killers: Why Big Pharma is Betting Billions to Beat a $170B Patent Cliff

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Jan 14, 2026, 10:52 ET

Issued on behalf of Oncolytics Biotech Inc.

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Equity-Insider.com News Commentary – The precision oncology market is hitting a massive growth spurt, projected to rocket from $110 billion toward a staggering $225.65 billion by 2032^[1]. This gold rush is accelerating as Big Pharma giants scramble to survive a looming $170 billion patent cliff that threatens to vaporize blockbuster revenues through 2030^[2]. This high-stakes hunt for registration-ready assets is driving the 2026 investment case for Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY), Nurix Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NRIX), Erasca (NASDAQ: ERAS), Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX), and ORIC Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ORIC).

The broader precision medicine market is on a moonshot trajectory, forecasted to hit $537.17 billion by 2035 as targeted biotech platforms become the ultimate acquisition prizes^[3]. The primary catalyst is the FDA's accelerated approval pathway, which has already delivered survival wins across 65% of solid tumors and fast-tracked response-heavy drugs for commercialization^[4]. For retail investors, the shift toward molecularly targeted "precision killers" has transformed these platforms into the most valuable infrastructure plays in modern medicine.

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) is strengthening its operational and statistical leadership as it advances pelareorep toward multiple registration-directed programs in gastrointestinal cancers.

The company recently announced the appointments of John McAdory as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations and Yujun Wu as Vice President, Head of Biostatistics, bringing deep expertise in late-stage oncology trial execution and regulatory strategy.

McAdory joins from CG Oncology, where he served as Vice President of Clinical Operations, leading late-stage development programs for oncolytic virus therapies. Wu arrives from Morphic Therapeutics, where he headed Biostatistics through the company's acquisition by Eli Lilly, and previously led statistical strategy for multiple Phase 3 oncology programs at Takeda. Both executives bring direct experience navigating complex registration trials and global regulatory interactions.

"John's background running complex, late-stage oncology trials makes him exceptionally well-suited to lead Oncolytics' next phase of execution," said Jared Kelly, CEO of Oncolytics Biotech. "As we progress toward pivotal and registration-enabling studies in anal, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers, his experience will be critical to ensuring disciplined execution, speed, and regulatory alignment."

These appointments complete a transformative executive team buildout following Kelly's promotion to CEO last year and the addition of Chief Business Officer Andrew Aromando. They were both crucial contributors to Ambrx Biopharma's $2 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. Oncolytics also recently expanded its Scientific Advisory Board with globally recognized experts from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center, positioning the company for accelerated clinical development across multiple indications.

The strategic focus is advancing pelareorep toward potential accelerated approval in anal cancer after reporting third-line data that achieved a 29% objective response rate—nearly tripling historical benchmarks in a setting with no FDA-approved treatment options.

The median duration of response reached approximately 17 months. Second-line or later results were equally compelling, with pelareorep achieving a 30% response rate, more than doubling the 13.8% benchmark for the only FDA-approved immunotherapy in this setting, with a median duration of response of 15.5 months compared to 9.5 months for standard care.

Oncolytics has also secured FDA alignment on its Phase 3 study design for pelareorep in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer, positioning it to launch the only immunotherapy registration trial currently planned for this disease.

CONTINUED… Read this and more news for Oncolytics Biotech at: https://equity-insider.com/2025/03/18/is-oncolytics-biotech-the-markets-most-undervalued-cancer-opportunity/

In other recent industry developments and happenings in the market include:

Nurix Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NRIX) outlined 2026 goals to execute a pivotal program for its potential best-in-class BTK degrader bexobrutideg, including Phase 2 and confirmatory Phase 3 studies to support global registration in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The company initiated the DAYBreak CLL-201 pivotal Phase 2 study in October 2025 and plans to initiate the confirmatory Phase 3 trial DAYBreak CLL-306 in 2026, comparing bexobrutideg monotherapy to pirtobrutinib.

"2025 was a defining year for Nurix, having advanced our potentially best-in-class BTK degrader, bexobrutideg, into pivotal development for patients with relapsed or refractory CLL," said Arthur T. Sands, President and CEO of Nurix Therapeutics. "As we enter 2026, we are focused on executing the DAYBreak CLL-201 study and initiating the confirmatory Phase 3 trial."

The company presented new clinical data at the 67th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in December 2025, showing an 83% objective response rate, including two complete responses in CLL patients with a median of four prior lines of treatment. Nurix maintains pro forma cash and investments of $663.8 million following an October 2025 equity offering.

Erasca (NASDAQ: ERAS) announced promising early clinical data for ERAS-0015, demonstrating multiple confirmed and unconfirmed partial responses across different tumor types with various RAS mutations during dose escalation. The potential best-in-class pan-RAS molecular glue achieved ongoing responses at doses as low as 8 mg once daily, with two confirmed PRs and one unconfirmed PR observed at this dose level.

"With both ERAS-0015 and ERAS-4001 INDs previously cleared in May 2025, Erasca's strong operational execution continues to result in rapid clinical advancement of our RAS-targeting franchise," said Jonathan E. Lim, M.D., Erasca's chairman, CEO, and co-founder. "Notably, ERAS-0015 is now enrolling ahead of plan, thus providing early clinical data. During dose escalation, ERAS-0015 has already demonstrated promising early clinical activity with multiple ongoing confirmed and unconfirmed responses achieved, along with encouraging safety and tolerability data and well-behaved PK. We believe that observing first clinical responses in multiple patients at just 1/10th of the dose at which first clinical responses were observed with RMC-6236 is thesis-reinforcing in terms of ERAS-0015's potential differentiation."

Erasca reported favorable safety and tolerability with no dose-limiting toxicities and predominantly low-grade adverse events across all dose levels. Initial Phase 1 monotherapy data for ERAS-0015 are planned for the first half of 2026, with the initiation of monotherapy expansion and combination cohorts planned for the second half of 2026.

Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX) raised $50 million in an equity financing with BVF Partners, Deerfield Management, founding investor Flagship Pioneering and a leading biotech mutual fund, priced at a 30% premium to the closing stock price on January 9, 2026. The Phase 1 dose-escalation trial of FHD-909 targeting SMARCA4-mutant cancers with a focus on non-small cell lung cancer is advancing as planned, with the trial enrolling patients globally.

"We are pleased to have raised $50 million in an equity financing, priced at a 30% premium to the closing stock price on January 9, 2026," said Adrian Gottschalk, President and CEO of Foghorn Therapeutics. "We continue to execute across our first-in-class pipeline focused on developing new treatment options for cancers with significant unmet need."

The company's selective CBP degrader program with potential in ER-positive breast cancer is on track to be IND-ready in 2026, while the selective EP300 degrader program shows preclinical superior anti-tumor efficacy. Foghorn maintains cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $208.9 million, extending its cash runway into the first half of 2028.

ORIC Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ORIC) reported potential best-in-class Phase 1b data for rinzimetostat demonstrating broad efficacy and differentiated safety in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The allosteric PRC2 inhibitor achieved PSA50 responses in 55% of patients and PSA90 responses in 20% of patients when combined with approved AR inhibitors, with 59% achieving ctDNA clearance.

"2025 was a transformative and highly productive year for ORIC, marked by meaningful progress across our pipeline, including data that further strengthened our conviction in the potential best-in-class profiles of rinzimetostat in prostate cancer and enozertinib in lung cancer," said Jacob M. Chacko, M.D., CEO of ORIC Pharmaceuticals. "We also bolstered our leadership team and substantially extended our cash runway into 2H 2028 in anticipation of these programs advancing towards registrational studies and, ultimately, commercialization."

ORIC also presented enozertinib Phase 1b data demonstrating 67% ORR in first-line EGFR exon 20 mutations and 100% intracranial ORR in patients with measurable CNS disease. The company expects to report combination dose optimization data for rinzimetostat in 1Q 2026 and initiate its first global Phase 3 registrational trial in mCRPC in 1H 2026.

Source: https://equity-insider.com/2025/03/18/is-oncolytics-biotech-the-markets-most-undervalued-cancer-opportunity/

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