Bringing New Hope to People With Advanced Cancers

One of the most rewarding parts of working in oncology for more than two decades is witnessing the remarkable advances in innovation that continually reshape the landscape, from cancer vaccines and gene sequencing to precision medicine and immunotherapy.

Personally, it’s been even more rewarding to play a role in driving these transformations, and I’m incredibly proud of the steps Sanofi Genzyme is taking to reinvigorate our oncology pipeline and portfolio. As we enter the next generation in the fight against cancer, we are committed to bringing new therapies that will make an impactful difference to people with some of the most difficult-to-treat cancers, including skin, prostate, lung, multiple myeloma, colon and breast cancer.

Advancing New Options Where They’re Needed Most

Immuno-oncology has been among the most exciting areas to follow in cancer research over the past decade, and we’re extremely proud to be working alongside the medical community to forge progress in areas that were previously uncharted. In just the past few months, we’ve expanded treatment options by harnessing the power of collaboration. Specifically, with our partner Regeneron, we’re helping more patients with different types of cancers, from those who have no treatment options to groups who have not seen treatment advancements in recent years and are eager for companies to prioritize research and innovation for their disease. We are working to build a portfolio that addresses a variety of difficult to treat cancers, like among certain patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who have historically faced a brutal reality in terms of survival.

Unmet needs remain high in both of these areas. BCC is the most common form of skin cancer and is typically easily treated with surgery or radiation. But when the cancer advances and spreads deeper into the surrounding tissue, it can become quite challenging to treat. At this stage, many patients often progress on or become intolerant to existing medicines. Once a patient progresses on first-line therapies, they typically have limited options for further treatment.

Similarly, advanced NSCLC is notoriously challenging and has long been associated with a grim prognosis. NSCLC is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for nearly nine out of every 10 diagnoses. And despite tremendous advancements in recent years, there is still so much we don’t know. There is more work to do to improve our understanding of the complexities of advanced NSCLC, and we are committed to furthering research and improving outcomes for this devastating disease.

In both of these cancer types, the need for more options isn’t necessarily on the surface. BCC doesn’t become advanced very often, and NSCLC has seen more treatment innovations than most other types of cancer in the last decade. Still, it’s the unknowns—the difficult-to-treat patients in later lines, the patients with complex comorbidities and the underrepresented trial populations—that are in the greatest need for advanced research. And that’s where we are focused on making a difference.

We Are Innovating With Urgency

Sanofi is not slowing down. We recognize that addressing these challenges will take collaboration, commitment and urgency. Worldwide, it’s estimated that one in four men and one in five women will develop cancer, and one in eight men and one in 11 women will die from it.[1] Research also suggests that the number of new cancer cases per year is expected to increase by 10 million in the next 20 years.[2] We know how much is at stake and we’re rising to the challenge.

These patients are the beating heart of our commitment and the driving force behind every innovative breakthrough and first-in-class treatment we pursue. They are the ones who struggle bravely and never give up hope. They are the “everyday” people we all know and, in many cases, love. At Sanofi, we are motivated by the hope that our research will make a meaningful difference for them and seeing the impact of the strides we’ve made these past few months helps to remind us why we do what we do.

[1] American Cancer Society. The Cancer Atlas. Available at: https://canceratlas.cancer.org/the-burden/the-burden-of-cancer/ 

[2] American Cancer Society. Global Cancer Facts & Figures. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/global