The eco system to conduct clinical trials in oncology is falling in place and this will accelerate the availability of best-in-class drugs to Indian patients in the next decade. The country is making rapid strides in cancer research for new drugs and therapies, said Dr. Uday Saxena, chair, product development, Bharath Advanced Therapeutics and executive secretary, Federation of Asian Biotech Associations. Compared to even a decade ago, the number of companies working on new cancer therapies have been steadily increasing. Firstly, CAR-T therapies which were only available in the developed nations are now being developed and launched in India at about 10% of the cost of similar CAR-T therapies in the other countries. Advanced targeted drugs with low side effect are being actively worked on in India. These will be better for the patients than the previous generation of cytotoxic drugs which manifested severe side effects like nausea, hair fall and weight loss, he added. India along with the US will partner in the ‘moon shot’ therapy development program where the objective is not just treating cancer but to cure and ultimately eliminate this dreaded disease. The availability of CAR-T therapy in India demonstrates that treatment options in India are on par with global standards. A vaccine to prevent cervical cancer will soon be launched here, he said. The pipeline of targeted oral drugs rather than injectable versions, suggest that treatment options which are domestically developed could change India from being a cancer capital to cancer cure capital. There is a remarkable change even in the last 5 years on how local companies are tooling themselves not to be left behind in the race to treat cancer, Dr Saxena told Pharmabiz in an email. The recent Cancer Next 2024 conference has been able to identify revolutionary oncology research efforts coming out of Institutes and companies in India. For instance, Bharat Advanced Therapeutics, submitted a preclinical data on BAT150030, a novel oral targeted therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), showing complete tumour regression in xenograft models. BAT150030 is set to enter first-in-human trials by 2025, offering transformative hope for leukemia patients, he said. Serum Institute of India too highlighted results from nationwide HPV vaccine trials designed to reduce cervical and oropharyngeal cancers significantly. The vaccine, targeting boys and girls, aims to address two major public health concerns. There was ImmunoACT which demonstrated remarkable outcomes of its CAR-T therapy with an 80% remission rate among over 200 patients. At just $50,000 per treatment in India compared to $500,000 internationally, this therapy sets new standards for affordability. Aurigene Oncology also showcased the successful licensing of oncology molecules to global pharmaceutical leaders, emphasizing India’s growing influence in drug discovery and development. Besides VeGen Therapeutics also is developing targeted therapies for variety of cancers, said Dr Saxena. To this end, the Cancer NEXT 2024 with Dr P Reddanna and Dr Markendeya Gorantla as conference organizers reaffirmed India’s capacity to lead global cancer research by addressing challenges and delivering innovative, affordable solutions for patients. By fostering partnerships and promoting advanced sciences, the stage is set for a future where quality cancer care is accessible to all as many new diagnostic tools in development were also show cased, said Dr Saxena.
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