香港2015年11月6日電 /美通社/ -- 亞洲癌症死亡個案急劇上升，預料直至2030年，亞洲癌症案例和死亡率將增加40%和50%(1)。始源於瑞士的國際醫藥公司 - 諾華製藥 (香港) 有限公司 (諾華腫瘤) 以創新伙伴型式聯合亞洲各界持分者研發癌症新藥物，成立StAR Project (Strategy in the Asia Region) 針對式回應亞洲癌症的獨特情況。
StAR計劃率先推動腫瘤科世界級醫學研究並發展亞洲國家的癌症診斷及治療 (左起: 諾華腫瘤亞太區及南非醫療總監兼StAR 計劃總監薛紅玲醫生、StAR 計劃香港專業醫學代表之一香港中文大學醫學院腫瘤學系副教授陳林醫生、諾華腫瘤新興市場高級副總裁 John Ketchum先生、瑞士駐港總領事Reto Renggli先生)
StAR Project 針對研究亞洲最普遍的癌症，包括胃癌、肝癌和非小細胞肺癌等。傳統上全球藥物開發和註冊監管均倚重參考西方國家如美國的臨床數據及經驗。StAR Project率先聯結亞洲的持分者，以新型伙伴型式共推動腫瘤科世界級醫學研究，並發展亞洲國家的癌症診斷及治療。
StAR Project促進亞洲醫學專業人士互相交流。鑑於肝癌發病率是亞洲之首，2015年StAR Project將肝癌定為首要研究項目。StAR Project肝癌核心成員兼香港中文大學醫學院腫瘤學系副教授陳林醫生指出：「在中國，肝癌仍是引致死亡的主要原因之一，而香港在2012年則診斷出1, 790宗肝癌(2)，亞洲肝癌有其獨特的病源學，近5年來肝癌的療法一直未有突破，我們需要如StAR Project的國際化合作，更落力探究肝癌的基因體、生物標記及相對的治療方案，增強對肝癌的認識和了解。」
諾華腫瘤投資精準腫瘤學(Precision Oncology)研究，精準腫瘤學研究的優勢是臨床試驗是根據最有可能對藥物有反應的患者而設計，提升試驗反應率，獲取更顯著結果以縮短市場接受新療法的時間。
諾華腫瘤新興市場高級副總裁 John Ketchum表示：「諾華腫瘤一直致力為癌症病人拓展療法的選擇。隨著諾華腫瘤收購了香港葛蘭素史克公司(GSK) 的腫瘤科部門，我們在腫瘤科、血液科及罕見疾病科都有最龐大的藥物目錄，並正進行多於25個針對癌症的項目。」
關於諾華
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參考資料
1. Varghese C et al. Cancer Burden and Control in the Western Pacific Region: Challenges and Opportunities Annals of Global Health 2014; 80: 358-369
2. Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health http://www.chp.gov.hk/en/content/9/25/52.html
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