ASCO 2022: Summary of findings in oncology and China market

This year, there will be 19 oral presentations and more than 70 posters from Chinese pharma, with the keyword ‘China’ coming up 350 times in the ASCO Agenda.

Deallus has been passionate about China-originated innovation and as part of our expertise spectrum, we have been seen some interesting trends emerging from our continuous engagement in the space. Looking at the lung cancer therapy area, we see a handful of TKIs from Chinese innovators who will be showcasing their clinical progress. These include several EGFR TKIs, such as furmonertinib from Shanghai Allist Pharmaceuticals, Aumolertinib from Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group, and imertinib from Beijing Aosaikang Pharmaceutical. We are also excited to see KRAS G12C inhibitors JAB-21822 from Jacobio pharmaceuticals and IBI351 from Innovent reporting early phase data in advanced soli tumours.

Immune-oncology (I-O) represents another equally exciting space where Chinese innovation engines have tapped into. Deallus notices that a few molecular target hotspots such as BTLA, LAG3 and TIGIT are gaining increasing attention from the Shanghai-based biotech Junshi Biosciences, Suzhou-based Innovent and BeiGene headquartered in the country’s capital city. Interestingly, immune checkpoint inhibitors with dual specificities, for example IBI319 (PD-1/CD137), KN046 (PD-L1/CTLA-4) and AK112 (PD-1/VEGF) will bring exciting data from early phase studies targeting at indications which remain as the country’s unmet needs (advanced malignancy, hepatocellular carcinoma, and NSCLC).

Deallus also spotted that there will be compelling data presented by the Chinese pharma in the CAR-T space. Legend Biotech will be showcasing a s BCMA CAR-T cilta-cel which received the FDA nod in late Feb this year. The two-year follow-up results from Chinese patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma treated with Relma-cel from JW Therapeutics will also be disclosed. The shanghai-based emerging biotech CARsgen Therapeutics, whose anti-claudin18.2 CAR-T CT041 will make the very first data readout from the US-based phase 1b trial in patients with advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

Deallus will closely follow ASCO this year and share further insights as the annual congress kicks off in early June. So, stay tuned with us!