Progress in blood cancers keeps ASH firmly in the spotlight

The last couple of decades have seen huge breakthrough in HIV and hepatitis, but if a pharma advocate wanted to show someone from government what the industry is achieving right now with commitment to innovation, they would most likely point to immuno-oncology, and specifically what immunotherapies can achieve in blood cancers.

Novartis (NOVN: VX) and Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) have both had groundbreaking CAR-T therapies approved in the USA and beyond for blood cancers in the last 18 months, hailed as a major moment in science and medicine.

This means that in recent years, the meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) has arguably been just as eagerly awaited as the oncology-focused ASCO and ESMO conferences, and this year is no different.