STAT+: In surprise decision, FDA rejects radiopharma therapy expected to rival Novartis treatment

Allison covers what hot startups are getting up to, and who’s financing them. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, “The Readout Loud.” You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01.The Food and Drug Administration has rejected a radiopharmaceutical therapy due to manufacturing issues, halting what would have been a competitor for Novartis. The drug, ITM-11, had been developed by ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE, a long-standing player in the field. Radiopharmaceuticals are an emerging type of treatment designed to shoot radioactive isotopes directly at tumor cells. ITM’s therapy was designed to treat gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, or GEP-NETs, a rare type of cancer that grows in the pancreas, stomach, small intestine, and other parts of the gastrointestinal system. ITM reported in March 2025 that patients with the earliest forms of this cancer who received ITM-11 infusions lived for 23.9 months without their tumors growing. Meanwhile, patients taking another treatment on the market, everolimus, went a median 14.1 months before their cancer progressed. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus daily coverage and analysis of the biotech sector — by subscribing to STAT+. Already have an account? Log in View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe