CGON Stock Rallies 27% in a Month on Bladder Cancer Study Success

Core Insights - CG Oncology's shares have increased by 26.5% over the past month following the announcement of positive efficacy data from a late-stage study of cretostimogene grenadenorepvec for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients [1] Company Overview - Cretostimogene is an investigational oncolytic immunotherapy delivered intravesically, being evaluated as both a monotherapy and in combination therapies across various mid- and late-stage studies for different bladder cancer indications [2] Study Results - The Phase III BOND-003 Cohort C study included high-risk NMIBC patients unresponsive to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy, showing a complete response (CR) rate of 75.5% at any time point, with 34 confirmed CRs at 24 months [3][4] - The study reported a CR of 46.4% at 12 months and 33.7% at 24 months, with a median duration of response of 28 months [4] - 97.3% of patients remained free from progression to muscle-invasive disease, and 91.6% of responders remained cystectomy-free at 24 months [4] - In Cohort P of the BOND-003 study, cretostimogene achieved a high-grade recurrence-free survival rate of 90.5% at both three and nine months among 24 treated patients [7] - The treatment was well tolerated, with all treatment-related adverse events being mild to moderate, and 97.3% of patients completed all planned treatments [8] Competitive Landscape - CG Oncology faces competition from Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), which is seeking FDA approval for TAR-200, an investigational drug-device combination targeting the same NMIBC patient population [9] - JNJ's TAR-200 has received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA for this indication [10] - Other competitors include ImmunityBio's Anktiva and Merck's Keytruda, which are approved for high-risk NMIBC but utilize different mechanisms of action compared to cretostimogene [11]