Cancer Drugs

Natco Pharma gets US health regulator's nod for generic cancer drug

Drug firm Natco Pharma on Tuesday said it has received approval from the US health regulator for a generic cancer medication. The company has received tentative approval for Erdafitinib in strengths of 3 mg, 4mg, and 5 mg, the drug firm said in a regulatory filing. The company's product is a generic version of Janssen Biotech Inc's Balversa. Natco said Erdafitinib is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma harbouring susceptible FGFR3 genetic alterations. As per the industry sales data, Erdafitinib tablets had estimated sales of around USD 60 million in the US for 12 months ending September 2025. Shares of Natco Pharma were trading 3.39 per cent up at Rs 851.45 apiece on BSE.

Budget 2026: Customs duty relief to make cancer, rare disease drugs cheaper

A customs duty exemption on select high-cost cancer and rare disease therapies is expected to lower treatment costs for patients while supporting demand for multinational and domestic pharma companies

Delhi High Court allows Zydus to sell generic version of cancer drug

The Delhi High Court has allowed Zydus Lifesciences to sell its nivolumab biosimilar, citing public interest, while directing the firm to maintain audited sales accounts pending the patent case

Scientists edge closer to a universal cancer vaccine using nanoparticles

What if a single vaccine platform could train the immune system to prevent multiple cancers? A new nanoparti

French drugmaker Servier sharpens India strategy, eyes ₹1,000 cr revenue

Servier is stepping up its India push to bring first-in-class and precision medicines, expand global clinical research participation and use India for manufacturing and GCC services

Dr Reddy's signs licensing pact to sell Australian Immutep's cancer drug

Over the last few years, Dr Reddy's has diversified its portfolio beyond generics to include cancer therapies as it battles pricing pressures in North America, its largest market

JFK's granddaughter reveals cancer diagnosis, criticises cousin RFK Jr

John F. Kennedy's granddaughter disclosed Saturday that she has terminal cancer, writing in an essay in The New Yorker that one of her doctors said she might live for about another year. Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and Edwin Schlossberg, wrote that she was diagnosed in May 2024 at 34 when, after the birth of her second child, her doctor noticed her white blood cell count was high. It turned out to be acute myeloid leukemia with a rare mutation, mostly seen in older people, she wrote. Schlossberg, an environmental journalist, wrote she has undergone rounds of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants, the first using cells from her sister and the next from an unrelated donor, and participated in clinical trials. During the latest trial, she wrote that her doctor told her he could keep me alive for a year, maybe. Schlossberg noted that her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was on the national stage, first running for president and later ..

Datanomics: One in every 74 Indians at lifetime risk of lung cancer

Cancers of the respiratory system ranked fifth in India in 2022, with 1,43,062 reported cases. Digestive system cancers and breast cancer remained the top sites.

Study finds disparities in cancer research in India despite economic growth

India had a largely inconsistent growth in clinical research related to cancer since 2001, despite a strong economic growth, suggesting that development could be a contributing factor towards disparities among the low and middle-income countries in cancer research, according to a new study. Cancer cases and deaths are projected to surge in the coming decades with low and middle-income countries expected to bear a disproportionate burden. However, researchers, including those from the the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group, said that clinical trials of cancer are disproportionally concentrated in high-income countries, even as previous evidence suggests an increase in trials among low and middle-income nations. The study, published in the journal 'CANCER', looked at disparities in the numbers and complexity of clinical trials over time and according to economic changes. Datasets from World Bank and ClinicalTrials.gov were analysed. Between 2001 and 2020, a total of 16,977 can

AstraZeneca receives CDSCO's approval to market cancer drug in India

AstraZeneca Pharma on Tuesday said it has received approval from the national drug regulator to market a cancer treatment drug in the country. The company has received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to import, market, and distribute Trastuzumab Deruxtecan for an additional indication in India, the drug firm said in a statement. With this approval, Trastuzumab Deruxtecan is now indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive solid tumours, who have received prior systemic therapy and have no satisfactory alternative treatment options, it added. This marks the first and only antibody drug conjugate in India with a tumour-agnostic indication, representing a significant advancement in precision oncology, the company said. "This milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to patient-centricity, scientific excellence, and equitable access to breakthrough therapies. By bringing Trastuzumab Deruxtecan to ..

Nobel 2025: Discovery that could stop your body from attacking itself

The 2025 Nobel in Medicine honours the discovery of regulatory T-cells, which are the body's immune 'security guards' that could transform treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer

Why Nomura continues to back Glenmark Pharma; Retains 'Buy'; Find out here

Analysts at Nomura continue to back Glenmark Pharma, citing the company's ability to strategically acquire high-potential innovative products.

Glenmark Pharma signs $18 mn deal with Hengrui for cancer therapy drug

The agreement gives Glenmark exclusive rights to develop and commercialise cancer drug Trastuzumab Rezetecan outside China, the US, Europe, and other select markets

What can slow breast cancer cell growth? 30-minute workout, say scientists

Just one bout of high-intensity or resistance training can cut breast cancer cell growth by up to 30 per cent by boosting anti-cancer proteins, say researchers

'New cancer vaccines to prevent recurrence, not onset in healthy people'

The new cancer vaccines are not intended to prevent the onset of cancer in healthy individuals but to stop its recurrence in those already treated, a medical expert said. These are therapeutic cancer vaccines designed to prevent recurrence of the disease in people who already had cancer, not for its prevention in healthy people, said Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, convener of the Research Cell, Kerala State IMA, and chairman of the scientific committee, IMA Cochin. He was speaking at the inaugural session of the second annual conference of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Society (GIOS) here on Saturday. Highlighting the evolution of cancer treatment, including the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines, Jayadevan, in a statement, clarified their purpose. These are a form of immunotherapy, specifically individualised neoantigen therapy, which trains the body's own immune system to recognise and eliminate cancer cells, he said. He also spoke of the modern challenge of information overload a

Semaglutide, used in Ozempic, joins WHO's essential medicines list

From cancer drugs to diabetes therapies, WHO's new list expands access to modern medicines and boosts the push for global healthcare equity

Russian mRNA vaccine for colon cancer shows high efficacy: Report

Moreover, promising progress has been made in developing vaccines for glioblastoma and specific types of melanoma

AstraZeneca's lung cancer combination boosted survival in key study

The combination helped patients with a specific type of advanced non-small cell lung cancer live for 47.5 months at the median, the longest survival benefit ever reported

From cancer drugs to glucometers, patients to save more after GST cuts

GST Council removed tax on 33 life-saving drugs and slashed GST on all medicines and medical devices to 5%, easing treatment costs and improving healthcare access

Repurposed drug statin found to slow cancer growth, boost treatment support

Statins, which help treat high cholesterol, have been found to slow down the growth of colorectal tumours, according to a new study, making researchers consider the possibility of repurposing the drug to support cancer treatment. However, more clinical trials are needed to provide scientific evidence before statins can become part of standard cancer treatment, they said. Drug repurposing, an alternative to the conventional way of developing medicines from scratch, accelerates the pace of discovery since existing medicines and compounds being used for it have already passed safety tests. Owing to a need to reduce the cost of developing drugs, the idea has gained traction in recent years with advances in computing power, artificial intelligence and bioinformatics helping in the identification of new uses for existing drugs more systematically and quickly. Cancer is among the multiple diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and HIV/AIDS, for which drug repurposing is being ...