Astellas says its first approval filing globally for zolbetuximab - in Japan for gastric cancer - came faster than expected, as Scrip takes a look at the latest status of other CLDN18.2-targeting candidates in late clinical trials.

AstraZeneca has been drawn back to drug development innovation in China after accelerating its rate of licensing deals with biotechs in the country over the past few months. Meanwhile, the UK multinational has also been building a network ecosystem together with a Chinese investment bank to take a long-term view in the country, a senior R&D executive told Scrip in an interview.

Two bioventures in China have jettisoned immuno-oncology assets, including PD-1/L1- and CD47-targeting agents, while four other firms have disclosed shifts in R&D priorities and employee lay-offs as they deal with challenging conditions.

The recent partnerships on Claudin 18.2-targeting agents between Chinese biotechs and big pharma have brought China innovation to a new phase that Chinese firms can be proud of, an executive from Keymed Biosciences, one of the Chinese biotechs involved in such deals, tells Scrip in an interview.