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Viruses On The Verge Of Joining The War On Cancer

 
• By Arlene Weintraub

With new approaches in development that add or subtract genetic material to viruses, or arm them with immune-boosting proteins, oncolytic viruses may become the next modality for treating cancer. Several smaller companies and their backers – as well as those who have yet to invest in the space – eagerly await results from Amgen’s Phase III program OncoVex.

The idea of using viruses to kill cancer has been around since the beginning of the 20th century, when oncologists first realized that patients who caught a cold or the flu sometimes experienced spontaneous remissions. But early attempts to use viruses as therapy failed, mostly because the viruses were too weak to be effective, or they had to be given in such high doses that they put patients at risk of developing viral infections.

A handful of biotech companies refused to give up on the viruses, spending much of the past two decades devising...

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More from China

Chinese Biotech VC/PE Fundings Rise But Still Modest

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

LTZ Therapeutics and Beijing Sungen Biomedical are among the Chinese biotechs raising new funding, of around $40m each, based on their clinical assets with novel mechanisms of action. While fundings have risen, they remain moderate however.

Degron Eyes Deals For Novel Molecular Glue Degrader Assets

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

Pursuing first-in-class molecular glue degraders using undruggable targets could eventually help Degron Therapeutics land sizable asset-based deals, CEO Lily Zou tells Scrip.

Ascentage Broadens Horizons As Pipeline Shows Renewed Promise

 
• By Xu Hu

Ascentage will share at ASCO new clinical data on its Bcl-2 inhibitor lisaftoclax, part of the Chinese firm's novel pipeline, on which its CEO shared with Scrip plans and strategy, along with some views on the use of RWD in China.

Strong Data For CARsgen’s CAR-T In Late-Line Gastric Cancer

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

In first confirmatory randomized controlled trial of any CAR-T therapy in solid tumors, CARsgen’s Claudin 18.2-targeting satri-cel reduced risk of death or disease progression by 63% in Chinese patients with gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer.

More from Focus On Asia

MetaVia Sees Obesity Opportunities Despite Challenging US Market

 
• By Jung Won Shin

Despite new challenges related to obesity drug insurance coverage in the US, MetaVia's CEO is confident in the company's novel contender, which unlike rival GLP-1 therapies doesn’t require dose titration.

Public Health And Innovation: Addressing Gaps, Pharma’s Role

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

Expert panel including Ashok Venkitaraman, director of the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, discusses public health challenges and innovations to help address these. Long-acting drugs, intercepting cancer early and “design thinking” by ophthalmologists in India were among the talking points.

Loss Of Exclusivity Product Launches To Fuel Aurobindo’s FY26 Europe Growth

 
• By Vibha Ravi

Aurobindo is banking on launches of loss of exclusivity products and biosimilars to fuel sales in Europe as it awaits a US announcement on tariffs and predicts high single-digit growth overall during FY26 for now