One-time CAR-T therapy Carvykti reshapes myeloma care and biotech leadership
Multiple myeloma, a brutal blood cancer, is increasingly treatable thanks to CAR-T immunotherapy, especially Carvykti, a BCMA-targeting one-time infusion that has produced durable remissions and in some cases cures. Developed in China and licensed to a Western company, Carvykti’s success—with CARTITUDE-1 showing a 76% response rate and five-year data indicating about 33% disease-free—highlights a shift in biotech leadership from the US to China, driven by faster early-stage trials and regulatory reforms. The US still dominates late-stage development, but China’s rapid trial ecosystem is accelerating the global pipeline, potentially enabling earlier, even first-line, use of such therapies and signaling a broad realignment in drug discovery and approval.