Meet the company that refuses to leave emerging economies behind in the fight against cancer

BeiGene’s Head of New Market Development is Jurij Petrin, M.D., who has more than three decades of experience in pharmaceutical technology R&D. He joined the company because he was drawn to its mission to address the lack of access to cancer therapies in emerging economies.

“Many of our targeted patients live in low- to middle-income countries,” he said, “[which sets us apart] from other types of companies [that target] larger markets [like] the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Many patients live outside those territories, and they cannot afford [some] therapies. So, BeiGene’s mission is to reach not only rich countries but other countries around the world.”

BeiGene was founded in 2010 by former McKinsey management consultant, US national John Oyler, and Chinese biochemist Xiaodong Wang, who specializes in cancer research. Based in Beijing, the company focuses on the enhancement of treatment outcomes and the broadening of access for cancer patients around the world.

In October, BeiGene opened an office in Dubai, which will serve as a launch point for regional expansion. Its global workforce has now reached 11,000 with around 3,000 dedicated to scientific matters and 1,100 focused entirely on cancer research.

“We are a science-driven company,” Petrin said, “so, most of our employees are working in discovery and development. We are really R&D-driven. The commercial part comes next. But, of course, that is also an important growing part of the company because otherwise we [would be] unable to reach the patients that we need to reach. [And] that is our motto; that is our approach and our strategy and the main characteristic of BeiGene.”

According to Petrin, Dubai was chosen as the company’s springboard into the Middle East and North Africa because of its “central position and background in developing and supporting innovative therapies and industries of different types”.

“We’re here first to learn about the cancer problem or cancer burden in [the region],” he explained. “This is how we [traditionally operate]. We [want] to… learn and not come [into the market] with drugs that are not needed. We also want to involve… key opinion leaders in the region and in Dubai specifically. And we were [impressed] by the quality of science and medical care [here].”

The first product BeiGene will make commercially available in the region is BRUKINSA® (clinical name: zanubrutinib), a BTK inhibitor that has shown significant promise in the treatment of cancers caused by defective B cells. BRUKINSA has already received approval from regulators in all GCC countries and Egypt.

The company also plans to submit another product, PD-1 inhibitor TEVIMBRA® (tislelizumab), for regulatory assessment soon. PD-1 inhibitors prevent specific proteins from combining. These proteins can be harmful once they have merged because they go on to interfere with T-cells and block them from destroying cancer cells.

“We have many other drugs in the pipeline,” said Petrin, “and [together they cover] cancer types that account for 80% of all cancers [diagnosed] around the world. We’ll [have to wait and] see which drugs… make it to the finish line because drug development is a complicated [process]. It takes years to develop a drug [and get it] approved by regulatory agencies.”

BeiGene’s medical R&D involves global clinical studies that will now include patient groups from MENA. As the company establishes its operations here, it will concentrate trials on cancers that have risen in severity and frequency in the region. The company will then, through rigorous R&D, adjust its focus to match emerging threats.

“Our philosophy [continues to be] driven by the vision of our founders, which is to develop high-quality cancer therapies and deliver them to patients in need, regardless of the cost,” Petrin said. “There are many different ways you can [take an] affordability approach [and] each country has its own needs and prospects. We are very confident that we are currently on track [to fulfil this] philosophy [of] getting [cancer medicines] to patients who need them most.”