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Pfizer announces Phase 3 CREST trial met primary endpoint of EFS

Pfizer announces Phase 3 CREST trial met primary endpoint of EFS

Pfizer (PFE) announced results from the pivotal Phase 3 CREST trial of sasanlimab, an investigational anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with standard of care Bacillus Calmette-Guerin as induction therapy with or without maintenance in patients with BCG-naive, high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, NMIBC. The trial met its primary endpoint of event-free survival, EFS, by investigator assessment, demonstrating a clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvement with sasanlimab in combination with BCG as compared to BCG alone: Hazard Ratio of 0.68; 95% Confidence Interval, 0.49-0.94; 2-sided p=0.019; median EFS not yet reached. These findings show a 32% reduction in risk of disease-related events, including high-grade disease recurrence or progression, with the sasanlimab combination regimen as compared with SOC treatment alone. Pre-specified subgroup analyses for patients harboring higher risk disease showed consistent benefit with EFS HR of 0.63 for T1 disease, and EFS HR 0.53 for those with CIS disease.
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China is catching up to the U.S. in pharmaceuticals, but it's not too late to turn that around
China is catching up to the U.S. in pharmaceuticals, but it's not too late to turn that around

Fast Company

time2 hours ago

  • Fast Company

China is catching up to the U.S. in pharmaceuticals, but it's not too late to turn that around

A decade ago, China had just a few hundred pharmaceutical drugs actively in development. Today, China has thousands of drugs in active development and is continually increasing investment to make even more. This transformation was not, however, a foregone conclusion: China faced incredibly high barriers to growing its pharmaceutical industry including weak research investment and a highly fragmented market of small drug development firms. However, through engineering an environment conducive to pharma innovation, China went from developing 2% of all drugs globally to 25%. Over the same period, the U.S. decreased its share from 45% to 36%, according to Evaluate's internal data. A boost in funding and regulatory changes opened the door, but access to the right talent has taken China across the threshold into a pharmaceutical golden age. Scientists from China and other parts of Asia used to come to the U.S. to work for the biggest drug companies and with the brightest minds. Now, many experts are heading East to fill China's labs, and this return began well before the current administration took office. The result? A huge increase in the quality and quantity of novel Chinese medicines in development. Licensing deals To understand the threat China poses, look to major drug companies' product portfolios. Increasingly, instead of acquiring homegrown innovations, pharma giants including Novo Nordisk, Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, and most recently Pfizer are entering into high-profile licensing deals with Chinese firms. In 2024, 31% of big pharma licensing deals involved a Chinese biotech and that number is projected to grow this year. China now offers a dizzyingly abundant source of innovative, high-quality therapies at—by pharma standards—reasonable prices. Could the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, long a shining example of innovation on the world stage, soon be eclipsed? 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The CAR-T market is expected to reach over $21B by 2030 and 51% of therapies currently in development originated in China. GLP-1s Notably, despite the increasingly crowded nature of the obesity and diabetes space, Evaluate's internal data shows 46% of GLP-1 therapies in development are from Chinese sponsors. Merck, for example, made its first move into the obesity space not by developing its own drug but by licensing a Chinese GLP-1 pill late last year. Questions remain, though, about whether Chinese players can catch Western pharma leaders which have a huge head start in the obesity space. Realistically, it's unlikely that the U.S.—or any other country—will beat China in these top three areas, though many of these Chinese drugs will be acquired by U.S. companies before they reach the market. 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Many, if not most, of the next generation therapies are likely to be acquired from abroad before completing their late-stage trials in the U.S. and reaching the market. Continued international licensing will ultimately benefit the bottom lines of American companies. China's genie is out of the bottle and there is no doubt that the country's ability to develop innovative drugs will continue to thrive. As the landscape diversifies, both countries will play crucial roles in advancing pharmaceutical innovation. Both the U.S. and China hold unique advantages; now is the moment America can reinvest in theirs to come out on top.

Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) Rises on Expected Developments
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  • Yahoo

Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) Rises on Expected Developments

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Young minds dive into discovery at Pfizer School of Science Mobile Experience
Young minds dive into discovery at Pfizer School of Science Mobile Experience

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Young minds dive into discovery at Pfizer School of Science Mobile Experience

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