ASCO 2020: Scientific advances & what’s impacting doctors and patients

Despite going virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jennifer Harris, an immuno-oncology expert from Syneos Health told pharmaphorum’s Richard Staines that the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting was full of groundbreaking research, as pharma finds new ways to harness the power of the immune system to fight cancer.

It’s almost a decade since Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) ushered in the cancer immunotherapy revolution with the first approval of Yervoy (ipilimumab) in melanoma.

Since then, BMS and rivals, such as Merck & Co and Roche, have redefined care standards in both solid and blood cancers, and this year’s ASCO showed how industry is refining treatment with existing therapies, as well as finding new ways to unleash the power of the immune system against cancer.

Like many other events, this year’s ASCO went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this enforced change did not prevent the emergence of some exciting new science, with immunotherapy a major focus for research.

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