Hansoh and GSK drug extends survival in bone cancer study

An experimental treatment for osteosarcoma developed by Hansoh Pharmaceutical (HK:3692) and GSK (LON:GSK) extended the time patients lived without disease progression, according to study results presented at a medical conference on Monday.

The drug, called ris-rez, kept disease progression at bay for a median of 5.5 months compared to 1.4 months for patients receiving chemotherapy in a late-stage trial conducted in China.

Ris-rez is a targeted cancer therapy that delivers cell-killing drugs directly to tumors while largely avoiding damage to healthy tissue.

The trial included 122 patients aged 12 and older with relapsed refractory osteosarcoma who had received more than two previous lines of treatment.

The drug showed a 67% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death in patients, said Lu Xie of Peking University People’s Hospital, who led the trial.

GSK has licensed ris-rez from Hansoh and is accelerating its development across several cancers as part of its strategy to rebuild a presence in oncology, a decade after exiting the space.