Today, the 2024 Conference on Innovative Development of Radiopharmaceuticals, organized by China Isotope and Radiation Industry Association (CIRIA), was held in Beijing. During the conference, China Isotope and Radiation Industry Association (CIRIA) established the Radiopharmaceutical Branch and held the first meeting of the First Council of the Branch, which was attended by leaders and representatives from research institutes, universities, medical institutions and enterprises in the field of radiopharmaceuticals in China.

As a pioneer and "frontrunner" in the field of global radiopharmaceuticals, Novartis not only takes the lead in occupying the R&D plateau of radioligand therapy (RLT) and leading the domestic and international R&D track of RLT, but also actively promotes the construction and improvement of the industry in the field of radiopharmaceuticals based on its own industrial status and international influence. Ms. Luo Ya, Head of Value Access Department of Novartis China, participated in the meeting as Vice Chairman of Radiopharmaceuticals Sub-Committee and Co-Chairman of the conference. In addition, Ms. Wang Ziwen, Head of New Product Planning of Novartis China, made a presentation entitled "Hardcore Innovation Committed to China". Novartis indicated that it will fully utilize its industry advantages in the field of radioligand therapy, its innovative R&D layout and its leading production and supply capabilities to deeply participate in and commit itself to jointly promoting the development of China's radionuclide industry and the advancement of the clinical application of drugs.

RLT is expected to change the future of cancer treatment
Radioligand therapy (RLT), which involves coupling chelates of radionuclides to molecules that can bind specifically to tumors, thereby recognizing and killing cancer cells, is essentially a systemic, precision radiotherapy method targeting cancer cells. Radioligand therapy belongs to coupling drugs, which is a kind of tumor precision therapeutic drugs. Due to the linkage method of using radionuclide as payload, peptide as carrier, and no need for hydrolysis, it shows lower immunogenicity, better penetration, less off-targeting, and optimized in vivo metabolism in clinical application.

Experts and industry insiders attending this year's Radiopharmaceuticals Innovation and Development Conference believe that radiopharmaceuticals, represented by radioligand therapy, have great potential to become a new pillar of tumor therapy and change the future of cancer treatment.

Advancing the development of global radioligand therapy
Novartis CEO Wansheim, M.D., made it clear at JPMorgan Healthcare 2024 (JPM 2024) that "part of Novartis' focused strategy is to look for areas where we believe we can create long-term and sustainable leadership, and that's radioligand therapy."

Continued investment in 2017 to date has also resulted in two influential RLT products in the field of radioligand therapy for the treatment of patients with growth inhibitor receptor-positive gastrointestinal pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and patients with desmoplasia-resistant prostate cancer who remain PSMA-positive after specific treatments. In the face of the rapid advancement of RLT R&D and industrialization, Novartis not only maintains the advantage of "frontrunner", but also devotes itself to the continuous improvement of R&D and production capacity.

In terms of R&D direction, in addition to the two drugs already on the market, Novartis is also developing more than ten RLT drugs, covering a series of tumor diseases such as breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, etc.; in terms of production capacity, in addition to the existing three production bases, Novartis has decided to expand its state-of-the-art RLT production base in Indiana, and set up new factories in China and Japan in order to strengthen the global production system; in terms of supply system, due to the decay of radionuclides, the RLT production base in Indiana will be expanded to cover a wide range of cancer diseases. decay characteristics of radionuclides, radiopharmaceuticals often have only a very limited expiration date and need to reach patients within a few days of drug production, Novartis is focusing on improving and upgrading the supply logistics system for radioligand drugs.

Developing and accelerating radioligand therapy in China
Novartis has initiated a number of registered clinical studies involving RLT therapies in China, including RLT products for backline metastatic prostate cancer indications already marketed in Europe and the United States, as well as globally synchronized development of RLT products for frontline prostate cancer indications and a number of other RLT pipeline products in the early stages of development.

In addition to the globally synchronized research and development of innovative RLT drugs, Novartis is also actively laying out its production base for radioligand therapy in China.2023 On December 1, 2023, Novartis and the Zhejiang Haiyan government announced the establishment of a brand new production base in Zhejiang Province, which is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2026, to ensure the production capacity and supply of RLT drugs in China.

Meanwhile, Novartis actively promotes the development of China's radiopharmaceutical industry and policy implementation. At the recently concluded China Development Forum 2024, Dr. Wansheim shared Novartis' insights and practices, and submitted a policy proposal on "Building a Competitive Innovation Ecosystem for the Benefit of Chinese Patients", actively advocating the acceleration of the research and development and application of advanced therapies such as radioligand therapy in China.

Novartis China has always adhered to the principle of "Commitment to China", and is committed to introducing innovative drugs with high clinical value to Chinese patients, as well as comprehensively laying out the Chinese market in terms of R&D, manufacturing and market expansion. We look forward to bringing Novartis' experience in promoting the standardization of radioligand therapy-related industries to China through cooperation with industry associations, medical institutions and industry partners, so as to contribute to the high-quality development of China's radioligand therapy-related industry chain.

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