WED AM News: Cellectar Biosciences rolls out new clinical trial data for cancer therapy; Baldwin urging Trump to ‘not offer concessions’ on shipbuilding during China summit

May 13, 2026

— Cellectar Biosciences has rolled out new clinical trial data showing patients are responding well to one of its cancer therapies.

The drug development firm, which has roots in UW-Madison, recently announced 12-month follow-up results from Phase 2b of its CLOVER WaM clinical trial.

It’s evaluating the use of its Iopofosine I-131 drug, which targets tumor cells while limiting exposure to healthy tissues, in patients with certain forms of a rare blood cancer called Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Among the 55 patients included in the trial, the overall response rate was 83.6% and the more substantial major response rate was 61.8%, achieving its “primary endpoint” or key result for demonstrating the effectiveness of the treatment.

The median duration of response was 17.8 months, achieving its secondary endpoint, while median progression-free survival for study participants was 13.5 months. Its disease control rate was 98.2%, indicating the percentage of cancer patients that responded to the treatment and have stable disease.

Cellectar President and CEO James Caruso says the follow-up data required by the FDA “ further strengthen the compelling clinical profile” of Iopofosine I-131.

“Importantly, the durability of response continues to improve over time … We remain committed to providing iopofosine I 131 to the thousands of patients who can benefit from treatment and plan to initiate our confirmatory study in [the] fourth quarter of this year,” he said in a statement.

Jarrod Longcor, the company’s chief operating officer, also points to findings for a subset of the clinical trial group showing “strong and consistent efficacy” for patients exposed to certain prior therapies.

He says these results and the findings for the overall study group “underscore iopofosine’s potential as a meaningful new treatment option” for cancer patients and differentiate it from other existing therapies.

“We believe this dataset meets key regulatory expectations for an accelerated approval submission and positions us well as we advance toward initiating our confirmatory study,” Longcor said.

The latest results come after the firm last month began enrolling patients in a clinical trial assessing a potential treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer.

See the new data here.

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— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined a bipartisan letter urging President Donald Trump to prioritize U.S. shipbuilding and “not offer concessions” during an upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump and Chinese leaders are slated to meet later this week at the Beijing summit.

Baldwin, D-Madison, along with Dem Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and GOP Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Tim Scott of South Carolina, underlined their “shared goal of revitalizing domestic shipbuilding” and the U.S. maritime industry amid a decades-long effort by the People’s Republic of China to claim global dominance in shipbuilding.

They say China has successfully diminished U.S. shipbuilding over the last 20 years, having commanded more than 60% of all commercial shipbuilding orders globally in 2025. By comparison, the United States produced fewer ships than China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Italy, and Germany, the lawmakers wrote.

They say this “drastic” difference has resulted from China’s anti-competitive practices, pointing to unfair and discriminatory tactics such as government subsidies and “favorable” loans from banks operated by the PRC.

The lawmakers note their states include companies and workers that specialize in shipbuilding and ship repair for both military and commercial vessels, along with suppliers of key components.

“Standing strong on shipbuilding trade remedies, passing the SHIPS Act, and continuing to revitalize the domestic industry through the FY27 Appropriations process will create economic benefit throughout our communities and beyond,” they wrote.

The letter references the Trump administration’s efforts to combat “cheating” by China, including fees for Chinese ships docking at U.S. ports and extra charges for companies using Chinese-made ships. The lawmakers say they were “prudent and have the opportunity to be successful,” pointing to initial impacts on Chinese shipping orders from U.S. trade actions.

“The sudden decrease in Chinese shipping orders shows that when your Administration acts on this issue, the global maritime industry pays attention,” they wrote.

The letter comes after the U.S. Navy recently awarded a $30 million contract to Fincantieri Marinette Marine, laying the groundwork for building four or more new military vessels at Wisconsin shipyards.

See the letter.

See more Wisconsin perspectives on trade tensions with China in a recent story.

— Neenah Foundry Company will pay $200,000 through a settlement with the state Department of Justice, resolving alleged violations of air pollution regulations.

The complaint from the state includes 18 alleged violations, including failures to maintain and operate air pollution control devices and monitors, “inadequate” records and not reporting changes from permit requirements to the state Department of Natural Resources.

In addition to allegedly failing to calibrate an air pollution monitor on a yearly basis, the company was accused of failing to maintain various factors needed for air pollution control devices to operate correctly.

“Our air pollution control permit system relies on compliance with permit terms in order to effectively protect clean air,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. “When companies fail to fulfill their obligations under those permits, there must be accountability.”

The Neenah Foundry, which makes cast iron manhole covers and other infrastructure components, was first established in 1872.

See the release.

— The Wisconsin REALTORS Advocacy Fund recently sent about 200,000 mailers urging state senators to support using a portion of the state surplus to lower property taxes.

One side of the mailer proclaims, “Let your senator know: The $2.5 billion surplus can help.”

An example of the piece the group shared with WisPolitics targeted Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, and included contact information for her state office.

The mail piece includes a QR code that takes people to a website where they can send messages directly to their state senators.

— Planting of corn and soybeans has largely caught up to the five-year average after recently falling behind, as more favorable weather allowed Wisconsin farmers to accelerate their fieldwork last week.

That’s according to the latest USDA report, which notes cold nights have slowed corn emergence and “left some growers concerned” about frost damage to fruits and berries.

As of Sunday, the state’s corn planting was 31% complete, near the five-year average of 33%. And soybean planting was 28% complete, exceeding the average of 27%.

Meanwhile, the spring oat planting was 47% finished, below the average of 57%, the report shows.

The spring tillage process was 61% complete, matching the five-year average.

See more from the report.

Microsoft says it has hired around 375 people for its Mount Pleasant data center

No reason to worry about hantavirus in Wisconsin, health officials say

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