Yabao and Changzhou Le Sun Partner in Cancer Drug Research

Two Chinese pharma companies, Yabao and Changzhou Le Sun, announced plans to co-develop a new oncology compound PLK/PI3K dual inhibitor LS-008, currently in the pre-clinical stage of development. Both companies expressed their hopes that this new collaboration would accelerate the development of the drug and its distribution in a global market.

PLK/PI3K inhibitors suppress the human enzymes responsible for cell growth and cell cycle progression. Elevated levels of PLK and PI3K can indicate rapid cancer growth, and the suppression of these enzymes can slow the spread of cancer in the body. Many different studies of these inhibitors have entered into clinical study in recent years.

"PLK/PI3K dual inhibition represents a new and promising approach to developing new drugs for several cancers, with the most advanced compounds currently in phase III global development. We strongly believe LS-008 has potential to be best-in-class," commented Dr. Peng Wang, President of R&D, Yabao Pharma.

According to the terms of the agreement, Yabao will hold exclusive rights to the drug in domestic markets while Changzhou Le Sun will retain most exclusivity rights for markets outside of China.  This partnership and its goal of global collaboration is yet another sign of China’s growing importance in oncology research.

Dr. Charles Balch, CEO of The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) told Medscape in 2012 that China was quickly becoming new major player in cancer research.  Balch explained that, “With the large volume of patients in China and an increasing ability to conduct collaborative studies across institutions, they can conduct bigger trials among some populations more efficiently than clinical trialists are able to do in other parts of the world.”

Cardiff University, leading center for Cancer research in the UK, currently collaborates with the cancer research teams at three Chinese Universities.

According to Balch, “We are experiencing a globalization of healthcare and biomedical research. With the accessibility of information on the Internet and the ability to travel more easily, we are beginning to share our knowledge at a global level and utilize information that benefits all of us worldwide.”