Rapid Fire
Cancer Drugs Tislelizumab and Zanubrutinib
- 24 May 2024
- 1 min read
India is set to get access to two new cancer drugs named Tislelizumab and Zanubrutinib.
- Tislelizumab, a new immunotherapy drug, is showing effectiveness in treating advanced oesophagal squamous cell carcinoma (Cancer that forms in the thin, flat cells lining the inside of the oesophagus).
- Zanubrutinib is a type of medication that inhibits a protein called Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), which is important for the growth and survival of certain cancerous blood cells.
- It has been approved for the treatment of specific types of blood cancers.
- Cancer refers to a group of diseases characterised by the uncontrolled proliferation and spread of abnormal cells in the body, which can infiltrate and harm healthy tissues and organs.
- In 2019, India had 1.2 million new cancer cases and 930,000 deaths, making it the second-highest contributor to the disease burden in Asia for that year.
- The cancer cases in the country are projected to increase from 14.6 lakh in 2022 to 15.7 lakh in 2025, as per the Indian Council of Medical Research.
