China biotech forum bills antibody cancer drugs as next-generation treatment

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), a fast-growing next-generation cancer treatment, have become an investment hotspot due to its potential to become mainstream globally, according to biopharmaceutical industry insiders.

To achieve sustainable growth and maximise revenue potential, companies should pursue differentiated product development and a global clinical strategy, according to Duality Biotherapeutics, which organised a biotech forum in Shanghai last week.

The Shanghai-based company – which raised HK$1.64 billion (US$211 million) from its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) in April – has avoided focusing only on the most popular market segments to avoid overcrowding, according to Mu Hua, the global chief medical officer.

“We have a differentiated strategy focused on carefully selected disease categories that maximise the commercial potential,” he said. “Many Chinese ADC developers focus on lung cancers, whereas we have chosen to spend significant resources on a certain type of prostate cancer based on our research, as well as market potential and competition.”

He said that a company could be more financially successful by being the first to launch a novel ADC drug for a difficult-to-treat cancer like castration-resistant prostate cancer than a rival that was first to market with a less differentiated drug for another cancer.