Bayer's Vividion Initiates Dosing in Early-Stage Cancer Study

Bayer’s BAYRY wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary, Vividion Therapeutics, Inc, announced that the first patient has been dosed in a phase I study evaluating VVD-159642.

VVD-159642 is an investigational oral inhibitor designed to target RAS-driven cancers.

The phase I study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and preliminary anti-tumor activity of VVD-159642 as a single agent and in combination with either Lumakras (sotorasib) or trametinib in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Shares of BAYRY have surged 20.3% year to date compared with the industry’s growth of 1.2%.

More on BAYRY’s VVD-159642

VVD-159642 is Vividion’s fourth clinical-stage program stemming from its chemoproteomics discovery platform.

It is designed to improve patient outcomes by inhibiting RAS-PI3Kα, a key signaling pathway implicated in solid tumor development and progression.

Data from preclinical studies on VVD-159642 suggest that the candidate can be evaluated in a broad patient population and might demonstrate increased efficacy in combination with other RAS/MAPK pathway inhibitors.

Bayer acquired clinical stage biopharmaceutical company Vividion Therapeutics in 2021 to expand in the field of precision small-molecule therapeutics primarily in oncology and immunology. The chemoproteomics platform technology of Vividion has enabled Bayer to discover a large number of traditionally unaddressable oncological targets with the aid of precision cancer therapeutics.

Vividion is currently evaluating an oral KEAP1 activator in solid tumors and an oral STAT3 inhibitor in solid and hematologic malignancies in phase I studies.

In December 2024, Vividion acquired Tavros Therapeutics, Inc., a company based in the United States. Tavros’ proprietary methods for genomic screening can identify new target opportunities and support discovery and translational efforts toward known targets.

BAYRY Looks to Strengthen Pharma Pipeline

2024 was a challenging year for the company, largely due to strong headwinds in the Crop Science business. The uncertainty caused by ongoing Roundup litigation is also a major hangover on the stock. The guidance for 2025 is pretty ordinary, as Bayer expects business to be challenging.

Bayer Aktiengesellschaft Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Bayer Aktiengesellschaft price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Bayer Aktiengesellschaft Quote

In this scenario, the company aims to strengthen its pharmaceutical pipeline.

Bayer has expanded its pipeline in new modalities of cell therapy, through the acquisition of BlueRock, and gene therapy, through the acquisition of AskBio.

Bayer had earlier collaborated with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. to jointly develop diagnostic tests based on next-generation sequencing.

The company recently announced a licensing agreement with Suzhou Puhe BioPharma Co., a clinical-stage biotechnology company.

Suzhou Puhe BioPharma is focused on the research and development of innovative small-molecule precision therapeutics.

The companies have collaborated for Suzhou Puhe BioPharma’s oral, small molecule protein arginine N-methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) inhibitor that selectively targets methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP)-deleted tumors.

Under the agreement, Bayer obtained an exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize the MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor.

Sales growth was encouraging in the Pharmaceutical division in 2024. New products, Nubeqa and Kerendia, retained their impressive momentum and offset the negative impact of a decline in Xarelto sales. The company is working to expand the labels of its key drugs, Nubeqa and Kerendia, which should boost growth.

Bayer’s Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

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

A couple of other top-ranked stocks in the pharma/biotech sector are Gilead Sciences, Inc GILD and Dynavax Technologies Corporation DVAX, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Gilead Sciences

In the past 60 days, Gilead Sciences’ EPS estimate for 2025 has increased from $7.55 to $7.87. During the same timeframe, the figure for 2026 has increased to $8.31 from $8.17. Shares of GILD have surged 22.5% year to date.

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

DVAX

In the past 30 days, estimates for Dynavax’s 2025 EPS have remained constant at 33 cents. During the same time frame, EPS estimates have remained constant at 57 cents for 2026. In the past six months, shares of DVAX have gained 19.3%.

DVAX’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed the same in the other one, the average surprise being 9.58%.

 

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