FDA Approves First Chinese Cancer Drug for U.S. Patient Use (1)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to a blood cancer drug from Beijing-based BeiGene Ltd., paving the way for American patients to access a Chinese cancer therapy for the first time.

The accelerated approval -- ahead of even China’s own national drug regulator -- marks a breakthrough for the growing legion of Chinese biotech companies determined to take on the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies in medical innovation and scientific research.

“This means we are not only bringing new drugs into China, we are also bringing new drugs from China to the whole world,“ said BeiGene President Wu ...