News Summaries

China Approves First‑in‑Class Drug Bejuma® for Rare Joint Tumor, Offering New Hope

Merck KGaA announced that China’s drug regulator has given the green light to Bejuma® (pimitinib hydrochloride capsules), the first Class I innovative medicine for treating tenosynovial giant‑cell tumor (TGCT), a rare but painful joint condition. The approval follows a priority‑review pathway and is based on the international MANEUVER trial, which showed the drug’s ability to shrink tumors and improve patients’ daily function without serious side‑effects. In the study, Bejuma® achieved the highest objective response rate among systemic TGCT therapies and was well tolerated—only 1.6% of participants stopped treatment because of adverse events, and no cases of liver toxicity or skin depigmentation were reported. Experts say the new option is a game‑changer for patients who cannot undergo surgery or who experience tumor recurrence, giving doctors a reliable, oral treatment that eases pain and restores mobility. Patient‑advocacy leaders welcomed the news, noting that many sufferers have lived with limited activity and constant anxiety. With Bejuma® now available in China, patients can look forward to climbing stairs, returning to work, or playing with their children—activities that were once out of reach.

China’s Secret Weapon: How a Shanghai Synchrotron Powers Breakthrough Drugs

Imagine trying to open a lock without ever seeing its shape – that’s how traditional drug discovery used to work. Today, scientists can picture the lock (a protein) on a computer and craft the perfect key (a medicine) to fit it. The Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) is the hidden engine that makes this possible for China’s fast‑growing pharma sector. By shooting powerful X‑rays at protein crystals, SSRF reveals their three‑dimensional structures, giving researchers a detailed map to design safer, more effective drugs. Thanks to this technology, China has launched several world‑class medicines, including BeiGene’s cancer pill zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) – the first home‑grown anticancer drug fully approved by the U.S. FDA – and the immunotherapy antibody tislelizumab (Tyvyt). Both rely on precise structural data from SSRF to avoid unwanted side effects and boost performance. Zanubrutinib alone generated $2.6 billion in sales in 2024 and is projected to hit $11 billion by 2031. Beyond cancer, SSRF has helped decode proteins from COVID‑19, Ebola, Zika and other viruses, paving the way for vaccines and antivirals. Since opening in 2009, the facility has solved tens of thousands of protein structures, publishing findings in top journals like Nature and Science. In short, while the headlines celebrate new drugs, the real backstage hero is the synchrotron’s crystal‑clear view of biology, accelerating China’s rise in innovative medicine.