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The landscape of innovative oncology drug targets

Gui Yao1, Leming Shi2, Yuanting Zheng3

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, School of Life Sciences, Human Phenome Institute and Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Amgen Biopharmaceutical Research & Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China.

Drug Discovery Today
|December 6, 2025
PubMed

Insights

The oncology drug pipeline balances new and proven targets. Dual-target strategies, especially bispecific antibodies, are rapidly advancing, while the US and China lead global drug development efforts.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Drug Discovery
  • Pharmaceutical Development

Background:

  • The global oncology drug pipeline faces challenges balancing novel target exploration with established ones.
  • A significant portion of drug candidates face development hurdles, with 36.1% not progressing well.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the current state of the global oncology drug pipeline, including target validation, development status, and geographical distribution.
  • To identify emerging trends and challenges in oncology drug development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 5127 drugs against 1603 targets.
  • Categorization of drug entities into 'proven', 'in development', and 'not progressing well' statuses.
  • Assessment of clinical validation timelines and success rates for novel targets.

Main Results:

  • 53.6% of oncology drugs are in development, 10.4% are proven, and 36.1% are not progressing well.
  • Dual-target strategies, particularly bispecific antibodies, represent the fastest-growing approach.
  • Clinical validation of novel targets takes a median of 8.0 years with a 22.3% success rate.
  • The USA and China dominate global development (62.7%), with the USA leading in first-in-class innovation.

Conclusions:

  • The oncology drug pipeline shows a dynamic landscape with both diversification and concentration on key targets.
  • Dual-target approaches and novel modalities are expanding therapeutic options.
  • Geographical leadership in oncology drug development is concentrated in the USA and China, with increasing Chinese influence.
Keywords:
global development landscapeinnovation trendsmodalityoncology drug discoverytarget validationtop 20 targets

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