Takeda Cancer Drug Extends Survival in Phase 3 Gastric Cancer Trial

08:11 AM EDT, 10/23/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) said Friday its experimental drug, arcotatug tavatecan, met both primary goals in a phase 3 trial involving certain patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer. The company said the study showed that patients receiving the drug lived a median of 10.2 months, compared with 6.9 months for those receiving standard treatment. Median progression-free survival was 7.1 months versus 3.1 months, respectively, the company said. Takeda said the drug also achieved a 37.4% response rate, compared with 7.7% for standard treatment. The company said it plans to use the results to support a regulatory filing in Japan and advance global phase 3 trials in gastric and pancreatic cancer.