Johnson & Johnson pairs wide ASCO oncology slate with expanding FcRn-blocker pipeline in autoimmunity

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is using the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting to underline its focus on specialty medicines across oncology, particularly in multiple myeloma, where several of its late-stage programs are scheduled to be presented. The company’s published ASCO abstract schedule lays out a broad spread of oral and poster sessions tied to its established immunology-oncology portfolio and next-generation investigational combinations.

In multiple myeloma, J&J is slated to present multiple results across its cell therapy, monoclonal antibodies, and bispecifics. The schedule includes CARVYKTI (ciltacabtagene autoleucel), an autologous CAR-T therapy that reprograms a patient’s own T cells to target BCMA, with a CARTITUDE-4 subgroup analysis examining how disease characteristics affect outcomes after bridging therapy. It also includes DARZALEX (daratumumab) presentations tied to updated risk criteria in the PERSEUS study, and TECVAYLI (teclistamab), a BCMA x CD3 bispecific T-cell engager designed to bring immune cells into contact with myeloma cells.

Other myeloma-specific items on J&J’s ASCO schedule point to continued refinements in treatment strategy. The company plans to present a phase 3 study, MajesTEC-9, evaluating teclistamab monotherapy against investigator’s choice regimens in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. It is also scheduled to share TALVEY (talquetamab), a GPRC5D-targeting bispecific, with material tied to dosing selection for patients with extramedullary disease in the RedirecTT-1 study, a setting where myeloma manifests outside the bone marrow.

Outside myeloma, J&J’s ASCO plans highlight prostate cancer and lung and head-and-neck malignancies using its targeted oncology toolkit. The abstract list includes a phase 3 study evaluating pasritamig (JNJ-78278343), an investigational bispecific T-cell engager that targets kallikrein 2, in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, as well as updated results in EGFR-altered non-small cell lung cancer using RYBREVANT (amivantamab) and LAZCLUZE (lazertinib). It also references head-and-neck cancer data tied to OrigAMI study cohorts, including outcomes in HPV-unrelated recurrent or metastatic disease after prior immune checkpoint inhibitor and chemotherapy.

Separately from the ASCO oncology slate, J&J’s autoimmunity pipeline continues to revolve around nipocalimab, its FcRn blocker in development for multiple immune-mediated diseases. FcRn blockers are designed to reduce levels of pathogenic immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies by interfering with the neonatal Fc receptor, a pathway involved in circulating antibody persistence. In a June 3, 2026 announcement tied to systemic lupus erythematosus, J&J said nipocalimab met the primary endpoint at 24 weeks in its Phase 2 JASMINE study using SLE Responder Index 4 (SRI-4), and continued to show sustained improvements through 52 weeks measured by both SRI-4 and Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS).

That lupus update matters because it is positioned by J&J as among the first positive efficacy readouts for FcRn blockade in SLE, a disease where patients often cycle through therapies that vary in effectiveness and tolerability. J&J also previously reported nipocalimab phase 2 results in Sjögren’s disease, an autoimmune condition that can impair salivary and tear gland function. In a June 15, 2024 announcement, the company said patients treated with nipocalimab showed statistically significant improvement in ClinESSDAI compared with placebo at 24 weeks in the Phase 2 DAHLIAS dose-ranging study.

Still, there is an important reporting gap. The J&J ASCO abstract chart identifies which programs and studies are being featured, but it does not provide the magnitude of efficacy or safety outcomes in the schedule itself. And because the original Yahoo Finance write-up that flagged autoimmunity alongside ASCO 2026 could not be fully accessed here, it is not possible to confirm whether the lupus and Sjögren’s items were specifically presented at ASCO 2026 versus other medical congresses. What is clear from J&J’s primary materials is that oncology and myeloma results are scheduled for ASCO, while nipocalimab’s most recent detailed SLE readout was communicated in connection with a rheumatology meeting announcement.

Looking ahead, investors and clinicians are likely to focus on whether J&J’s ASCO oncology presentations translate into definitive practice changes, particularly in multiple myeloma where sequencing across multiple mechanisms is increasingly important. At the same time, nipocalimab’s next steps may hinge on additional efficacy and durability data, plus how regulatory strategies develop across SLE and Sjögren’s. For now, J&J’s message is a dual-track one: expanding clinical depth in cancer at ASCO while continuing to push a mechanistically consistent autoimmunity program built around FcRn inhibition.