Hansoh and GSK drug extends survival in bone cancer study

An experimental drug created by Hansoh Pharmaceutical and GSK was shown to extend the time patients with bone cancer lived without the disease worsening, according to research unveiled at a medical conference on Monday. The medication, named ris-rez, kept the cancer from advancing for an average of 5.5 months in patients, compared to just 1.4 months for those receiving chemotherapy in a late-stage trial conducted in China.

Ris-rez is a targeted cancer therapy that releases cell-killing drugs specifically to tumors, minimizing harm to healthy tissue. The trial involved 122 patients aged 12 or older with relapsed and refractory osteosarcoma who had already undergone more than two previous treatments. According to Lu Xie of Peking University People's Hospital, who led the study, ris-rez demonstrated a 67% lower risk of disease progression or death in patients.

GSK has acquired the rights to ris-rez from Hansoh and is accelerating its development for use in various types of cancer as part of its plan to reestablish a foothold in oncology, a decade after withdrawing from that field.