The NCCN updated its 2026 bladder cancer guidelines to include ANKTIVA for more patients. This move broadens its potential use, though the indication is still not FDA-approved.
Shares of ImmunityBio Inc. (IBRX) climbed more than 7% in pre-market trading on Tuesday, after a key update to its U.S. cancer treatment guidelines expanded the recommended use of its lead therapy ANKTIVA in bladder cancer.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (ICCN) has updated its 2026 bladder cancer guidelines to include ANKTIVA in combination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer with papillary-only disease.
What Changed In NCCN Guidelines?
The earlier NCCN guidelines only included ANKTIVA for patients with BCG-unresponsive NMIBC with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary disease. The treatment boosts natural killer and T cells to fight cancer and has shown lasting benefits in studies. However, its use for papillary-only disease has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
ANKTIVA works by activating natural killer (NK) and T cells, helping the immune system target cancer more effectively.
“The addition of ANKTIVA plus BCG for papillary-only disease in the NCCN guidelines reflects the growing body of clinical data evaluating ANKTIVA in this patient population and reinforces our commitment to developing comprehensive treatment solutions that address the full spectrum of patients living with BCG-unresponsive NMIBC,” said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Founder, Executive Chairman and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of ImmunityBio.
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