Immuno-Oncology/Cancer Therapeutics Present Strongest Innovation Pipeline in Next 5 Years

Immuno-oncology (IO) drugs/cancer therapeutics represent one of the most promising areas of medical innovation in the next five years, fundamentally transforming how cancer is treated, according to a survey conducted by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

In a recent GlobalData’s survey, The State of the Biopharmaceutical Industry – 2025, the largest proportion (41%) of surveyed pharmaceutical industry professionals indicated that the immuno-oncology/cancer therapeutics present the strongest innovation pipeline in the next 5 years.

Urte Jakimaviciute, Senior Director of Market Research and Strategic Intelligence in the healthcare division at GlobalData, comments: “Advancements in immunotherapy such as checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cell therapies, cancer vaccines, etc., are revolutionizing the way cancer is treated, and as these therapies evolve, they may lead to more effective and personalized treatments. Further to this, high unmet needs in cancer with many types of indications lacking effective treatments are driving and will continue to drive the innovation in immuno-oncology/ cancer therapeutics.”

Anti-obesity drugs were the second most popular choice (23%). The development of anti-obesity medications, such as the GLP-1 receptor agonists that are currently disrupting the market, is addressing a massive global health issue and creating a lucrative market opportunity for pharma.

Jakimaviciute concludes: “In the same GlobalData survey, anti-obesity medications were already highlighted as the trend that will have the greatest impact on the pharmaceutical industry in the next 12 months. With still limited effective treatments available, there is a substantial demand for innovative treatments, making this area a key area of focus for the next five years as well.”

GlobalData’s survey fielded with 128 GlobalData pharmaceutical industry professionals between 15 November to 04 December 2024.

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