For the most part, Sanofi has sat by and watched its competitors storm into the market for cancer immunotherapies. But not anymore.
The company says it is now looking to elbow its way into the market, which has become dominated by blockbuster drugs such as Merck and Co.’s Keytruda and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company’s Opdivo.
Sanofi says it now has 10 cancer therapies in development including its own immunotherapy it’s developing with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals called Cemiplimab. The medication is now being reviewed by U.S. and EU regulators to treat a form of skin cancer, but the company is aiming to get the drug approved to treat lung cancer tumors — a more lucrative prize.
Despite the growing dominance of Keytruda in the field, including its positioning to fight lung cancer, Sanofi says patients deserve to have more options.
Sanofi has not brought an oncology drug to market since 2012. Earlier this year, the company said it is committing $1.64 billion to develop Cemiplimab. The market for cancer immunotherapies is expected to reach $25 billion by 2012.
Read the full Bloomberg report.