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News|Podcasts|November 9, 2026

The BioPharm Brief: argenx Bets on Peptides, a Two-Bispecific Regimen in Prostate Cancer, and a New Take on T-Cell Engagers

argenx agrees to acquire macrocyclic peptide developer Unnatural Products for up to about $1.15 billion, Johnson & Johnson’s pasritamig and JNJ-9401 bispecific regimen achieves a 73% PSA response in phase 1 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and Janux Therapeutics’ TRBV6-targeted T-cell engager JANX011 shows deep B-cell depletion in healthy volunteers.

Welcome to The BioPharm Brief, your daily snapshot of developments shaping the biopharmaceutical industry. Today: argenx moves into peptides, two bispecifics team up against prostate cancer, and a different way to build a T-cell engager for autoimmune disease.

First, argenx has agreed to acquire Unnatural Products, a macrocyclic peptide discovery company in Santa Cruz, California, in a deal worth up to about $1.15 billion. That includes $550 million upfront and up to $595 million in milestones. argenx already holds a minority stake. It plans to combine Unnatural Products’ machine learning–driven peptide platform with its own antibody engineering to pursue oral or long-acting medicines for immune-mediated diseases. No specific programs or targets were disclosed, and the deal is expected to close by year-end.

Next, Johnson & Johnson reported phase 1 data for a regimen that combines two bispecific antibodies in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Pasritamig directs T cells to the prostate cancer antigen KLK2. JNJ-9401 binds PSMA and the T-cell receptor CD28, which gives T cells a second signal to activate. At the recommended regimen, 11 of 15 heavily pretreated patients had a PSA drop of at least 50%, and four reached undetectable PSA. There were no grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events. The sample is small, and the combination is also being studied in phase 3.

And finally, Janux Therapeutics reported phase 1 results for JANX011, a CD19-targeted T-cell engager for autoimmune disease. Most T-cell engagers bind CD3. JANX011 instead engages a subset of T cells through a receptor domain called TRBV6, aiming to deplete B cells without broadly activating T cells. In healthy volunteers, three of five participants at the highest dose had more than 90% B-cell depletion. Cytokine release syndrome was limited to grade 1. Patient studies in immune thrombocytopenia and rheumatoid arthritis are planned for 2027.

That’s today’s BioPharm Brief. For analysis and expert insights, please visit BioPharmInternational.com.

Key takeaways

  • Platform expansion: argenx is adding macrocyclic peptides to its antibody expertise, betting on oral and long-acting options in immunology.
  • Dual targeting: J&J’s regimen hits two prostate cancer antigens and adds a second T-cell activation signal, with early responses that still need confirmation in larger studies.
  • Engager design: Janux’s TRBV6 approach is an early test of whether T-cell engagers can deplete B cells in autoimmune disease with less cytokine release.

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