The existence of two approved therapies, Lumakras (sotorasib, Amgen Inc.) and Karzati (adagrasib, Mirati Therapeutics Inc.), has been a triumphant success against KRAS, a protein that was once considered undruggable.

The process of manufacturing autologous T-cell therapies is technically challenging when compared with other oncology drugs, making the overall cost of developing CAR T therapies significantly higher. A challenging reimbursement environment for drugs listed on China’s National Reimbursement Drug List also means that most patients will have to pay out of pocket to access CAR T therapies. Taken together, complex logistics – production, manufacturing and supply chain – and complicated administration requirements are key bottlenecks that inflate the input costs involved in developing these specialized treatment options.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is still an uncurable disease. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells directed to tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 17, also known as BCMA, have transformed the field, with high response rate and durable remissions, but the access to this therapy is limited by multiple factors.

The FDA has cleared Oncoc4 Inc.’s IND application for ONC-841, a potential first-in-class Siglec-10-blocking antibody for the treatment of solid tumors.