Dr. Soon-Shiong's Oncology Honor Spotlights ImmunityBio's Ascent

CULVER CITY, CA – December 29, 2025 – Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire physician, surgeon, and founder of ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX), has been named to OncoDaily's prestigious list of “The 100 Most Influential People in Oncology in 2025.” The recognition comes as his company marks a pivotal period of commercial growth and clinical advancement, placing a spotlight on a career defined by both groundbreaking innovation and considerable controversy.

OncoDaily, a global oncology news platform with an editorial board of leading academics and researchers, curates its annual list to honor “changemakers” who are shaping the future of cancer care. The inclusion of Dr. Soon-Shiong places him alongside luminaries such as Nobel laureate James P. Allison and immunotherapy pioneer Steven Rosenberg, underscoring the perceived impact of his lifelong work on the field.

“Dr. Soon-Shiong has earned this honor in recognition of his lifelong commitment to science, medicine, and patient care, a commitment that inspires our team and our partners every day,” said Richard Adcock, President and CEO of ImmunityBio, in a statement. “His ideas and leadership are a driving force powering our mission to bring transformative therapies to people living with cancer and other serious diseases.”

From Vision to Commercial Reality

The honor is more than a personal accolade; it serves as a significant validation for ImmunityBio's strategic direction. The company, built on Dr. Soon-Shiong's vision of orchestrating the body's own immune system to fight disease, has successfully transitioned from a development-stage entity to a commercial-stage powerhouse. Its flagship product, ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln), has become a critical new weapon against a difficult-to-treat form of bladder cancer.

Approved by the FDA for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) that is unresponsive to the standard BCG treatment, ANKTIVA has seen remarkable market uptake. The company reported product revenue of $31.8 million in the third quarter of 2025, a staggering 434% increase from the same period in the previous year. This commercial success is bolstered by broad insurance coverage for over 200 million individuals and a permanent J-code that simplifies hospital reimbursement, which went into effect at the start of 2025. The momentum is set to continue, with the UK's health agency approving the drug and a conditional marketing authorization recommended in the European Union, opening significant new markets.

For investors and industry observers, this recognition of its founder reinforces the company’s scientific credibility. Wall Street analysts have largely maintained a “Buy” rating on IBRX, with price targets suggesting substantial upside. The optimism is rooted not just in current sales but in the belief that ANKTIVA's mechanism—activating natural killer (NK) cells and T cells for a durable response—represents a foundational platform for future therapies.

A Career of Ambition and Acrimony

Dr. Soon-Shiong's path to becoming one of oncology's most influential figures has been anything but linear. His career is a tapestry of immense wealth, scientific breakthroughs, and high-profile legal and ethical battles. He is credited with inventing the blockbuster cancer drug Abraxane, a nanoparticle-based formulation of paclitaxel, which he sold to Celgene in 2010 in a deal valued at over $2.9 billion.

However, his ambitious ventures have also drawn sharp scrutiny. In 2019, Sorrento Therapeutics filed a lawsuit alleging a “catch and kill” scheme, accusing Dr. Soon-Shiong of acquiring a competing cancer drug, Cynviloq, only to shelve it to protect his financial interests tied to Abraxane. Dr. Soon-Shiong vehemently denied the allegations, citing manufacturing and impurity issues with the drug. His tenure as owner of the Los Angeles Times has also been turbulent, marked by the resignation of editorial board members and reports of clashes over the paper's editorial independence.

These controversies paint a picture of a complex and formidable figure whose relentless drive has often placed him at the center of conflict. Yet, it is this same drive that fuels the expansive and ambitious clinical pipeline at ImmunityBio, which aims to tackle some of the most intractable challenges in medicine.

The Pipeline's Promise for Patients

Beyond the current success in bladder cancer, the true measure of Dr. Soon-Shiong's influence may lie in ImmunityBio's sprawling research and development pipeline, which holds the potential to impact tens of thousands of patients. The company is preparing to file for FDA approval to expand ANKTIVA's use to papillary NMIBC, another form of bladder cancer, based on compelling three-year survival data. It is also tackling the global BCG shortage by partnering with the Serum Institute of India to secure an alternative supply, a move with significant public health implications.

Perhaps most promising is the work in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In a Phase 2b study for patients who had failed prior checkpoint inhibitor therapy, ANKTIVA in combination with another agent demonstrated a median overall survival of 14.1 months, offering new hope in a setting with few options. A Biologics License Application for second- and third-line NSCLC is anticipated in 2025.

The company's platform is also being deployed against other diseases and conditions. The FDA has granted expanded access for using ANKTIVA to treat lymphopenia—a dangerous depletion of immune cells—in patients with advanced solid tumors. Furthermore, a National Cancer Institute trial is testing an ANKTIVA-based vaccine combination to prevent cancer in individuals with Lynch Syndrome, a hereditary condition that dramatically increases cancer risk.

In a novel application of its technology, ImmunityBio has even initiated a Phase 2 trial to see if ANKTIVA can treat Long COVID by activating the immune system to clear persistent viral reservoirs. Early-stage trials are also showing unprecedented results in some of the deadliest cancers. Initial data in recurrent glioblastoma, a universally fatal brain cancer, showed disease control in all five patients treated with a combination including ANKTIVA and NK cell therapy. This diverse and aggressive clinical strategy embodies the very innovation that the OncoDaily honor seeks to recognize, pushing the boundaries of what immunotherapy can achieve.