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LIFESCIENCELEADER.COM JANUARY 2015
PART FIVE: A WRAP: HOW DO THE KOLs & COMPANIES COMPARE?
To date, we have given a good account of the concepts and
applications, theory and reality, of cancer immunotherapy.
Parts One and Two thoroughly shared the range of views
among key opinion leaders. The subsequent parts have
covered companies' real-world experiences trying to apply
the concept in a business environment. Each company is
unique in its practical views and approach. Every one
holds lessons for any life sciences company taking on the
risks and responsibilities of developing highly innovative
products. We conclude Part Five and the series itself
with the moderator's summary of concepts and lessons
discussed in the virtual roundtable as a whole.
The companies here continue to assess the reasons for
using cancer immunotherapies in combinations, the
criteria by which the combination components are likely
to be selected, the business models most likely to prevail,
and the key challenges in commercializing and delivering
cancer immunotherapies to real patients in the real world.
Candidates for "backbone" therapies, personalized versus
off-the-shelf treatments, and alternative combinations
also enter the discussion. (See also "Questions Verbatim"
in Part Four, December 2014.)