Agenus Reports 48% Estimated Three-Year Survival With BOT+BAL in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer at IGCS 2026
3.10.2026 17:50:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Agenus Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in immuno-oncology innovation, today announced three-year follow-up results from the ovarian cancer cohort of its 400+ patient Phase 1b C-800-01 trial. The study evaluated botensilimab (BOT), Agenus’ multifunctional, Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4 antibody, in combination with balstilimab (BAL), Agenus’ anti-PD-1 antibody. The results, including three-year survival and outcomes by sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy and by prior treatment, were presented at the 2026 International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) Annual Global Meeting in Montréal, Canada.
Among patients evaluable for efficacy, three-year overall survival was 48% (n=35), unchanged from the two-year estimate, suggesting durable clinical benefit in this population. Responses and long-term survival were observed in both platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant or refractory disease. At the last follow-up, 25% of patients who received at least one dose of treatment (11 of 44) were alive and off all therapy.
These results come from a population with substantial prior treatment. Patients had received a median of four prior lines of therapy, and 66% had received at least four. All had previously received platinum chemotherapy, 77% had received bevacizumab and 57% had received a PARP inhibitor. Nearly three-quarters had platinum-resistant or refractory disease, meaning their cancer had progressed during platinum treatment or returned within six months of it.
“In recurrent ovarian cancer, conventional checkpoint immunotherapy has rarely produced lasting benefit, particularly after the disease stops responding to platinum chemotherapy,” said Rebecca L. Porter, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who presented the data. “What stands out with longer follow-up is the survival plateau in patients who had already received multiple treatments. That pattern suggests that a different approach to activating the immune system may offer some patients lasting benefit, even when treatment options have narrowed.”
Three-year follow-up findings
Overall efficacy results (n=35)
- Overall survival (OS): Estimated survival was 48% at both two and three years. Median OS was 14.8 months.
- Objective response rate (ORR): 23% of patients (8/35) had a response, including one complete response and seven partial responses.
- Duration of response: Responses lasted a median of 9.7 months.
- Clinical benefit: 31% of patients (11/35) had a response or stable disease lasting at least 24 weeks.
- Alive and off treatment: At last follow-up, 25% (11 of all 44 patients who received at least one dose of treatment) were alive and off all therapy.
Results by patient subgroup
- Platinum-resistant or refractory disease (n=25): Estimated three-year survival was 47%. ORR was 20% (5/25), including one complete and four partial responses.
- Platinum-sensitive disease (n=10): Estimated three-year survival was 45%. Thirty percent (3/10) of patients had a partial response.
- Four or more prior lines of therapy (n=23): Estimated three-year survival was 48%. ORR was 17% (4/23),with all four responses being partial responses.
- Disease progression on a PARP inhibitor (n=17): In patients whose cancer had progressed during PARP inhibitor treatment or maintenance, estimated three-year survival was 61%. Two patients (12%) had partial responses.
Safety remained consistent with the known BOT+BAL profile. No new safety signals or treatment-related deaths were reported.
“The most compelling finding is that the survival curve extends beyond two years in women who had already received multiple treatments, including those with platinum-resistant or refractory disease,” said Steven J. O’Day, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Agenus. “We have seen a similar pattern of durable survival in other difficult-to-treat cancers studied with BOT+BAL. This three-year ovarian update strengthens our conviction that the combination can deliver meaningful, lasting benefit to a subset of patients who have had few effective immunotherapy options.”
The three-year ovarian results add to a pattern of long-term survival across difficult-to-treat cancers studied with BOT+BAL. In the broader 400+ patient Phase 1b pan-tumor analysis, estimated two-year survival was 39%. In a separate cohort of patients with refractory MSS metastatic colorectal cancer without active liver metastases, estimated survival was 41% at two years and 33% at three years. These findings are particularly notable in cancers where conventional immunotherapy has historically offered limited benefit.
The consistent and durable BOT+BAL activity in heavily pretreated cancers that are poorly immunogenic or resistant to prior immunotherapy, reinforced by deep pathologic responses in neoadjuvant studies, strengthens the rationale for moving treatment earlier in the course of disease. Before surgery, when the primary tumor and surrounding lymph nodes remain intact, BOT+BAL may have the greatest opportunity to generate lasting antitumor immunity, reduce recurrence and ultimately increase the number of patients who may be cured.
The full presentation can be found on the publications section of the Agenus website at www.agenusbio.com/publications.
BOT and BAL are in development and have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Presentation details
Abstract Title: Next Generation Immune Checkpoint Inhibition with Botensilimab Plus Balstilimab in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: Results by Platinum Sensitivity Status and 3-Year Overall Survival
Presenter: Rebecca L. Porter, MD; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Poster Presentation number: 969
Session Title: Poster Rounds with Professors Session, Ovarian Cancer 03 Session
Date/Time:Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 10:50am-10:55am EDT
About the C-800-01 Study
C-800-01 (NCT03860272) is a multicenter Phase 1b trial evaluating BOT with or without BAL in advanced solid tumors. The ovarian cancer cohort included patients with recurrent disease for whom no standard therapy was available or whose cancer had progressed after standard treatment. The efficacy analysis included 35 patients who had at least one tumor scan after starting therapy. The safety population included all 44 patients who received treatment. The data cutoff for this analysis was December 13, 2025.
About Agenus
Agenus is a leading immuno-oncology company targeting cancer with a comprehensive pipeline of immunological agents. The company was founded in 1994 with a mission to expand patient populations benefiting from cancer immunotherapy through combination approaches, using a broad repertoire of antibody therapeutics, adoptive cell therapies (through MiNK Therapeutics) and adjuvants. Agenus has robust end-to-end development capabilities, across commercial and clinical cGMP manufacturing facilities, research and discovery, and a global clinical operations footprint. Agenus is headquartered in Lexington, MA. For more information, visit www.agenusbio.com or @agenus_bio. Information that may be important to investors will be routinely posted on our website and social media channels.
Agenus’ Commitment to Patient Access
Until marketing authorization is granted, BOT+BAL is accessible only through clinical trials and authorized early access mechanisms where permitted and available under each country’s regulatory framework. For eligible French patients treated in hospitals under AAC and meeting the predefined criteria, BOT+BAL is fully reimbursed by France’s national health system. Outside France, access may be available in select countries through paid named-patient programs, which may involve out-of-pocket costs to the patient or coverage under applicable national or private reimbursement arrangements. These programs are physician-driven and are not promotional.
About Botensilimab (BOT)
Botensilimab (BOT) is a human multifunctional, Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4 antibody designed to boost both innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses. Its novel design leverages mechanisms of action to extend immunotherapy benefits to “cold” tumors which generally respond poorly to standard of care or are refractory to conventional PD-1/CTLA-4 therapies and investigational therapies. BOT augments immune responses across a wide range of tumor types by priming and activating T cells, reducing intratumoral regulatory T cells, activating myeloid cells and inducing durable memory responses.
Approximately 1,500 patients have been treated with BOT and balstilimab (BAL) in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials. The combination with Agenus’ investigational PD-1 antibody, BAL, has shown clinical responses across more than nine cancers. For more information about BOT trials, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.
About Balstilimab (BAL)
Balstilimab is a novel, fully human monoclonal immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) designed to block PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) from interacting with its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. It has been evaluated in more than 900 patients to date and has demonstrated clinical activity and a favorable tolerability profile in several tumor types.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding its botensilimab and balstilimab programs, expected regulatory timelines and filings, and any other statements containing the words "may," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "hopes," "intends," "plans," "forecasts," "estimates," "will," “establish,” “potential,” “superiority,” “best in class,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the factors described under the Risk Factors section of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2025, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Agenus cautions investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Agenus undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements, other than to the extent required by law. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261003256338/en/
Contacts
Investors
917-362-1370 | investor@agenusbio.com
Media
781-674-4422 | communications@agenusbio.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
www.businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
YouHodler Italy Authorised by CONSOB as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider Under MiCA13.10.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
YouHodler Italy S.r.l., announces that CONSOB, after hearing the Bank of Italy, has authorised it as a crypto-asset service provider (CASP) under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA) and Legislative Decree 129/2024, by resolution no. 24156 of 8 October 2026. The authorisation covers five services: custody and administration of crypto-assets on behalf of clients; exchange of crypto-assets for funds; exchange of crypto-assets for other crypto-assets; execution of orders on behalf of clients; and transfer services for crypto-assets on behalf of clients. With the authorisation, YouHodler Italy serves clients in Italy as a supervised firm under MiCA's client protections: segregation of client crypto-assets, governance and security requirements, pre-contractual information and complaints handling. The company plans to extend its services to all 27 EU Member States through the procedure set out in the Regulation. "The CONSOB authorisation is the result of long and rigorous work with the authoriti
Manhattan Wins Kesko Mandate as Nordic Retail Giant Bets on Cloud-Native, AI-Driven Warehousing13.10.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
The race to modernise Europe's grocery supply chains has entered a new phase, with Finnish retail group Kesko selecting ActiveWarehouse™ from leading supply chain and omnichannel commerce solutions provider Manhattan Associates Inc. (NASDAQ: MANH). The Nordic retail giant is replacing its grocery trade legacy warehouse management system with the industry’s leading, cloud-native warehouse management solution, including agentic AI capabilities delivered through ActiveAgents™ and Agent Foundry. For Finland’s second largest grocery brand, and one of the biggest in Northern Europe, the investment reflects the growing strategic importance of operational agility, as digital and physical retail become increasingly interconnected and a broader shift taking place across retail logistics more generally. The scale of Kesko’s grocery trade makes the project noteworthy in Finnish and European retail. In 2025, the division’s net sales amounted to EUR 6.5 billion, and its comparable operating profit w
Horizon3 Promotes Keith Poyser to General Manager, EMEA Following More Than 260% Regional Revenue Growth13.10.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Horizon3 today announced the promotion of Keith Poyser to General Manager, EMEA. Previously Vice President, EMEA, Poyser will oversee the company’s next phase of growth and expansion across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. His promotion follows more than 260% regional revenue growth in the last fiscal year and the opening of Horizon3’s EMEA headquarters in Amsterdam. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261013365926/en/ Keith Poyser promoted to General Manager, EMEA following more than 260% regional revenue growth Since joining Horizon3 in September 2024, Poyser has recruited experienced talent and established a regional leadership bench, growing the EMEA team from eight to more than 110 employees. He has built a culture of trust, collaboration and accountability to support the company’s expanding regional business. “Keith took an eight-person team and built an EMEA organisation of more than 110 people that deli
Gurobi’s Decision Intelligence Summit Comes to Prague13.10.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Gurobi Optimization, LLC, the leader in decision intelligence technology, today unveiled the 2026 Gurobi Decision Intelligence Summit (“Gurobi Summit”) EMEA, taking place October 13–14 in Prague. Following the U.S. version of the event, which took place September 22-23 in Las Vegas, attendees in the EMEA region will gather at the Fantova Budova for two days of innovative use case presentations, in-depth trainings, and expert-led panels. Sessions will highlight how optimization is the most suitable form of AI for delivering actionable, defensible decisions, and how generative AI can break down barriers to entry and help more users apply optimization’s full potential. This year’s presentations will include speakers from ALDI, Dutch Railways, Ryanair Labs, SAP, Skydance, and more. Several of Gurobi’s partners will also be present to showcase their solutions and expertise. In addition, event sponsors Decide | Linkroad, LTPlabs, Optano, and ORMAE will have dedicated booths, where attendees
New Galderma Research Reveals More Than Half of Women Mistake Menopause-Related Skin Changes for Signs of Ageing13.10.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Galderma (SIX: GALD) today announced new global research revealing that more than half (56%) of women first put menopause-related skin changes down to general ageing, while only less than a third of women (29%) initially recognized the link to menopause.1 The research shines a light on ‘The Menopausal Skin Misread’, showing how aesthetic changes in the skin linked to menopause are still being misunderstood, mislabeled and too often attributed to ageing alone.1 Ahead of World Menopause Day, Galderma is calling attention to the misunderstood impact of menopause on the skin, helping to close the knowledge gap and empower women with the understanding needed to recognize and navigate menopause-related skin and aesthetic changes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261012641517/en/ “Too many women are navigating changes in their skin without recognizing that menopause may be playing a role. Our research shows the scale
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom