China’s self-developed cancer drug to be approved by year end
A China-developed anticancer drug had been submitted to the China Food and Drug Administration for approval.
The drug, fruquintinib, is likely to be approved at the end of this year and hit the market, People's Daily reported, bringing hope to patients of late-stage colon cancer.
It is co-developed by Li Jin, oncologist and director of the Tumor Department at Shanghai East Hospital affiliated with Tongji University School of Medicine, and Qin Shukui, associate head of 81st Hospital of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), as well as 28 domestic clinical drug research institutions.
The team's research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on June 26, showed the drug is effective in fighting colorectal cancer and has a low toxicity to humans, the report said.
According to Li, the new drug brings hope to colorectal cancer patients who had undergone at least two chemotherapy treatments have yet to see remission of the disease.
Clinical research shows the drug could extend life expectancy up to 9 months.
In China, more than 370,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer every year, a majority of which are already in the late stages of the disease. While chemotherapy is the most common treat-ment for colorectal cancer, it has limited effect on late-stage patients, according to the People's Dai-ly report.
Currently, China mainly produces generic anticancer drugs. The approval of fruquintinib would mark the transition of China's transition to creating new drugs.
According to Li, Shanghai East Hospital is launching 20 new clinical studies on anticancer drugs. The hospital plans to develop at least 30 new anticancer drugs every year.
Global Times
Your Comment
Name E-mailRelated News
-
-
Pilgrims pray for harvests, prosperity ahead of Tibetan New Year in Lhasa
Many pilgrims came to Lhasa to pray for harvests and prosperity ahead of the Tibetan New Year.
-
-
New HPV vaccines given on the Chinese mainland for 1st time
A hospital in south China's Hainan Province started giving a human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine Wednesday, the first on the Chinese mainland.
-
-
Beijing now has "7th Ring Road" to ease traffic pressure
The Capital Region Ring Expressway, a 1,000-kilometer ring road linking Beijing and nearby cities was expected to open to vehicles soon to ease traffic congestion and improve regional economic growth in the area, the China Daily reported Thursday.
-
-
China's poverty relief benefits neighboring countries
China's poverty-relief campaign has brought benefits at home and abroad.
-
-
China to intensify research on clean energy
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has recently initiated an integrated research project on clean energy to offer technological support for China's improvements to energy structure and sustainable development.