Off the wire
• China's relief aid arrives in quake-hit Afghanistan  • UN chief urges peace on 20th anniversary of former Israeli PM Rabin's assassination  • President Kiska criticized slow progress in digitalization in Slovakia  • Merkel urges UK to stay in EU  • French stock market index up 0.41 pct on Tuesday  • Spanish stock market rises 0.45 pct, closes at 10,465 points  • LNG from Poland could lead to cuts in price of Russian gas in Slovakia: analyst  • Slovakia helps Slovenia with border protection  • Latvian gov't adopts plan to receive refugees  • British FTSE 100 increases 0.34 pct on Tuesday  
You are here: 　 Home

UK's biggest drugmaker plans to file 20 new drugs for approval by 2020

Xinhua, November 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Up to 20 new drugs might be submitted by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for regulatory approval within five years, the London-based company said on Tuesday.

In a research and development presentation for investors, GSK said seven of the new drugs that might be filed with regulators were in advanced late-stage development.

The company also revealed advanced and early-stage projects in six core areas, including HIV and other infections, respiratory medicine, oncology, immuno-inflammation, vaccines and rare diseases.

The portfolio represents some of the latest scientific achievements from GSK's research and development organization and its more than 1,500 company and academic collaborations, according to GSK.

The company believes approximately 80 percent of the medicines and vaccines presented have the potential to be "first-in-class" with novel mechanisms of action. As a result, many of these potential medicines and vaccines may offer benefits beyond current standards of care and, in some cases, could radically transform how patients are treated.

"The level of innovation in this portfolio is substantial. We believe this is critical in today's operating environment as payors look to balance pressures of pricing and demand. It also provides us with confidence that this portfolio can generate significant value for shareholders and deliver widespread benefits to patients and consumers," said Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GSK.

Cancer treatment is an important research and development area, where GSK are pouring resources into.

GSK has focused its oncology discovery efforts to target the fundamental drivers of cancer, exploring new technologies and approaches to stimulate anti-tumor immunity, reprogram cancer cells and improve long-term survival, the company said.

Development timelines for oncology drugs can be compressed, which offers potential for several of these new drugs to be filed with regulators in the next three to five years, it added.

GSK also announced a deal with Merck, which will involve a clinical trial to test its experimental OX40 cancer drug in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda, in solid tumors. Endit