Sesen Bio (SESN) stock pricing in PDUFA on Aug. 18

Shares of Sesen Bio (SESN) surged 16% today, this surge comes as an expected PDUFA acceptance date of Aug. 18. The PDUFA is the first step of the company’s commercialization of its cancer treatment candidate, Vicineum.

The company’s lead program, is currently under Priority Review with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with a target Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of August 18, 2023.

Vicineum, a locally administered fusion protein, is Sesen Bio’s lead product candidate being developed for the treatment of BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). 

Vicineum is constructed with a stable, genetically engineered peptide tether to ensure the payload remains attached to the antibody binding fragment until it is internalized by the cancer cell. This fusion protein design is believed to decrease the risk of toxicity to healthy tissues, thereby improving its safety.

In prior clinical trials conducted by Sesen Bio, EpCAM has been shown to be overexpressed in NMIBC cells with minimal to no EpCAM expression observed on normal bladder cells.