China clinical trials are attracting international drugmakers seeking faster patient recruitment and lower costs, while raising questions about safety oversight and transparency. China accounted for 45% of new clinical trials for innovative medicines in 2025, according to pharmaceutical data provider Norstella. Its share stood below 5% in 2008. Meanwhile, McKinsey estimates that Phase 1 costs per patient in China are…
Tag: clinical trials
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Cancer Heat Therapy: R57m Public Health Rollout
A R57 million funding drive could determine whether a South African cancer treatment is adopted in the public healthcare system. Cancer heat therapy has been shown to improve survival and reduce long-term costs. Dr Carrie Minnaar, a South African researcher specialising in oncologic hyperthermia, is leading plans to install six modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) devices at three public hospitals over the…
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Aspen HIV Prevention Pill Deal Expands African Access
Aspen Pharmacare will become a major African supplier of Merck’s experimental monthly HIV prevention pill, alimatravir. The agreement depends on the medicine successfully completing clinical trials and receiving regulatory approval. Merck granted voluntary licenses to seven generic drug manufacturers, including the South African company, to produce and distribute lower-cost versions of the medicine. The drug also goes by its development…
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Ebola Treatment Trials Need Urgent $18m Funding
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has called for urgent international funding to support experimental Ebola treatment trials in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Africa CDC said at least $18 million was needed immediately. It warned that funding delays could weaken efforts to contain the outbreak and lead to preventable deaths. Researchers are preparing to launch clinical trials…
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Daraxonrasib Pancreatic Cancer Results: A Historic Breakthrough
Every so often, a medical advance is so significant that it gives seasoned oncologists chills. This is currently the case for Revolution Medicines and their experimental therapy, daraxonrasib. In a recent late-stage study, the drug allowed patients with advanced disease to live twice as long as those receiving standard chemotherapy. For a field where progress is often measured in mere…
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Human HIV Vaccine Trial Begins With BRILLIANT 011
South Africa has launched its first-ever human HIV vaccine trial. It is a landmark for a country that remains the global epicentre of HIV. The long-term ambition is clear. Scientists want a safe, affordable vaccine given in the first year of life, with no need for repeat doses. The trial, known as BRILLIANT 011, is a first-in-human study. It has…
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AI in Drug Development helps Pharma Cut Trial Admin Time
Artificial intelligence is still struggling to crack the most complex problem in pharma R&D: reliably designing new molecules that become breakthrough medicines. But drugmakers say AI is already paying off in the “unsexy” middle of development. This is where time and money are often lost to paperwork, vendor hand-offs, and slow trial start-up. At the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in January…
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Cholera Vaccine Trial Aims for Self-Reliance in Africa
South Africa has taken a pivotal step towards pharmaceutical independence with the launch of a new South African cholera vaccine trial. The state-backed manufacturer, Biovac, in partnership with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), has initiated clinical trials for a candidate oral cholera vaccine. Many hail this development as a crucial move to reduce Africa’s dependence on imported medicines.…
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Lower-Dose Immunotherapy Trials Expand Treatment Options
Ground-breaking new research suggests that dramatically lower doses or shorter courses of revolutionary immunotherapy drugs could be highly effective. This finding may eventually pave the way for wider global access to life-saving cancer treatments. Lower-dose immunotherapy trials are showing promising potential. Drugs like Merck & Co’s Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb Co’s Opdivo have transformed oncology. They boost survival rates…
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Immunotherapy for Cancer and Early-Stage Success
Ground-breaking advancements in immunotherapy are poised to transform cancer care. New data reveal the effectiveness of these immune-boosting drugs in treating a wider range of cancers at their earlier stages. Previously established as life-extending treatments for advanced diseases, drugs such as Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo, AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi, and Roche’s Tecentriq are now demonstrating significant promise. They are preventing recurrence and…
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Are New Cancer Treatments Worth the Price?
A significant number of cancer drugs approved since 2000, as reviewed by Bloomberg News, have never been definitively shown to extend patient survival for their approved uses. This raises questions about the growing cost of cancer treatments. The landscape of cancer treatment has been revolutionized over the past three decades, with over 200 new cancer drugs greenlit by the US…