Tanja Obradovic: All eyes are on ADCs coming from China’s biotech innovation engine and CAR-T cell therapy
Tanja Obradovic, Vice President of Oncology Scientific Affairs at ICON plc., shared a post on LinkedIn:
“All eyes are on ADCs coming from China’s biotech innovation engine, but there’s an additional large trend emerging in China-originated CAR-T cell therapy. As of May 1st, the number of China-based CAR-T ongoing clinical trials substantially surpasses the number of trials within the US. According to clinicaltrials.gov records, there are 315 open CAR-T trials in the US and 367 in China. Considering that the number of incoming, not yet recruiting trials is also higher for China, this trend is likely to continue.
Recent reports paint a very good picture of the growth of China’s CAR-T market, expecting it to reach $342 million over the next decade. Additionally, the generally observed 2023-2024 trend of strategic partnerships around novel drug products in late-stage clinical development applies to CAR-T cell therapies too. Mature CAR-T cell products are being developed through strategic partnerships and joint ventures between multinational corporations and Chinese companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Nanjing Legend Biotech Corp., Juno Therapeutics Inc. and Wuxi Apptec Co. Ltd., and CASI Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Juventas Cell Therapy Ltd.
Beyond the innovation engine within clinical trials, CAR-T cell therapy is making substantial inroads into China’s clinical practice. Centers with long experience such as Jiahui International Cancer Center (JICC) are meeting increasing demand from Chinese patients as well as those from other geographies. Affordability as well as processes adapted to suit the complexities of patient treatment and needs receiving CAR-T cell therapy are contributing to substantial adoption at the bedside. The link below describes some highlights posted just a few days ago, commenting on the critical elements defining the success of the Medical Oncology team led by Dr. Vicky Lee (LI Hua) at JICC.”