Patrick Soon-Shiong | $1B+
Get in touch with Patrick Soon-Shiong | Patrick Soon-Shiong, physician, biotech entrepreneur, and investor, built one of the most consequential careers at the intersection of medicine, science, and capital. After developing the cancer drug Abraxane, which he sold to Celgene in a multibillion-dollar deal, Soon-Shiong went on to found and back numerous life-sciences companies focused on immunotherapy, data-driven medicine, and personalized healthcare. Beyond biotech, he is the owner of the Los Angeles Times and has invested heavily in medical research, AI-enabled health systems, and pandemic preparedness. His work reflects a long-term ambition to reengineer healthcare around biology, data, and scalable innovation.
Patrick Soon-Shiong (born 1952) is a South African-born American physician, transplant surgeon, and biotechnology innovator recognized for developing Abraxane, a nanoparticle-formulated chemotherapy drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2005 for breast cancer and subsequently for lung and pancreatic cancers.[1][2]
The son of Chinese immigrants, Soon-Shiong was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, graduated high school at age 16, and obtained his medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg at age 23, later relocating to the United States where he conducted early pancreas transplants and islet cell research at UCLA.[1][3][4]
Through founding Abraxis BioScience and subsequent ventures under NantWorks, he commercialized Abraxane, which generated billions in revenue following its sale to Celgene in 2010, establishing his fortune and enabling further investments in immunotherapy platforms like those at ImmunityBio, which secured FDA approval for Anktiva in bladder cancer treatment.[1][5]
In 2018, Soon-Shiong purchased the Los Angeles Times and its affiliates for $500 million, assuming ownership amid declining traditional media viability, and has since pursued reforms to mitigate ideological biases in reporting and endorsements, drawing internal pushback from staff aligned with prevailing journalistic norms.[6][7]
Early Life and Education
Family Background and Childhood in South Africa
Patrick Soon-Shiong was born in 1952 in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), a coastal city in South Africa, to Chinese immigrant parents who had fled mainland China following the Japanese invasion during World War II.[3][8][9] His parents, originating from Toisan in Guangdong province among the Hakka ethnic group, arrived in South Africa as refugees and established themselves as modest shopkeepers to sustain the family.[10][11]
Soon-Shiong's father, Chan Soon-Shiong, had trained as an herbalist in China and continued practicing traditional medicine in South Africa, serving as a doctor for the local Hakka Association and treating patients with remedies delivered via metal tins every two months.[12][11][9] The family resided in a dilapidated building in the North End neighborhood of Port Elizabeth, reflecting their humble circumstances amid the economic challenges faced by Chinese immigrants in a nation enforcing apartheid policies that marginalized non-white groups, including those of Asian descent.[12][13] As one of the few Chinese families in the area, they navigated systemic restrictions on property ownership, education, and business opportunities imposed under segregationist laws that were intensifying in the early 1950s.[14][13]
Growing up in this environment, Soon-Shiong experienced the direct impacts of apartheid's racial classifications, under which Chinese South Africans were initially grouped with "Coloureds" before being recategorized as "Asiatic," limiting access to certain professions and institutions.[14] Despite these barriers, his parents emphasized self-reliance and education, with the family's shopkeeping providing a stable, if modest, foundation that instilled entrepreneurial values from an early age.[11] This upbringing in a small ocean-side town shaped his resilience, as he later reflected on the contrasts between his parents' traditional herbal practices and the scientific pursuits he would pursue.[11][12]
Medical Training and Early Career Milestones
Soon-Shiong enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg at age 16, earning a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCh) in 1975 and ranking among the top four students in a class of 200.[11] As one of the first Chinese South Africans admitted to medical school under apartheid restrictions, he became the inaugural Chinese intern permitted to work in a whites-only hospital, though receiving only half the salary of non-Chinese peers.[11]
Following his internship, Soon-Shiong pursued postgraduate surgical training abroad, beginning with a junior residency in Vancouver, Canada, after marrying in 1977.[11] He completed a surgical residency and obtained a Master of Science in surgery at the University of British Columbia.[15] Subsequently advancing to chief resident at the University of California, Davis, he then joined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he became the youngest professor of surgery.[11]
In his early career at UCLA starting in 1983, Soon-Shiong specialized in transplant surgery, performing the institution's first two combined pancreas and kidney transplants at age 30.[11] As an assistant professor in 1993, he conducted UCLA's inaugural whole-organ pancreas transplant and achieved the world's first encapsulated islet cell transplant to address diabetes by protecting donor cells from immune rejection.[16] These procedures marked pioneering efforts in organ and cell transplantation, including subsequent innovations such as the first engineered human islet transplant and the first pig-to-human islet cell transplant.[4]
Medical and Scientific Contributions
Surgical Expertise in Transplants
Soon-Shiong developed expertise in organ and cellular transplantation during his tenure as a faculty member and transplant surgeon at UCLA School of Medicine from 1983 to 1991. In 1987, he performed California's first combined pancreas-kidney transplant at UCLA, marking a milestone in surgical treatment for end-stage renal disease complicated by diabetes.[17][18]
Building on this, Soon-Shiong advanced islet cell transplantation to address type 1 diabetes without whole-organ replacement. In May 1993, at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, he conducted the world's first intraperitoneal implantation of microencapsulated human pancreatic islets into a diabetic patient, utilizing an alginate-polylysine-alginate semi-permeable membrane to shield the cells from immune attack while permitting nutrient and insulin diffusion. The procedure resulted in insulin independence for the recipient, as documented in subsequent clinical reporting, bypassing the need for systemic immunosuppression.[19][20][21]
That same year, Soon-Shiong pioneered the first xenogeneic islet cell transplant from pig to human in a diabetic patient, exploring alternatives to human donor scarcity and aiming to engineer durable beta-cell function. These encapsulated approaches represented early efforts in immunoprotection, influencing subsequent bioengineering strategies, though long-term viability challenges persisted due to membrane durability and fibrosis.[22][23]
Invention and Development of Abraxane
Patrick Soon-Shiong invented Abraxane, a nanoparticle albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel), designed to deliver the chemotherapeutic agent without the Cremophor EL solvent required for conventional paclitaxel (Taxol), which often caused severe hypersensitivity reactions limiting its administration.[24] The innovation leveraged human serum albumin to create stable nanoparticles approximately 130 nanometers in size, enabling solvent-free intravenous delivery and potentially enhancing tumor targeting via the gp60 receptor-mediated transport pathway.[25]
Development began in the early 1990s under Soon-Shiong's leadership, initially as ABI-007, through his efforts at VivoRx, which evolved into Abraxis BioScience.[5] Soon-Shiong founded American Pharmaceutical Partners in 1998 to support commercialization of injectable pharmaceuticals, spinning off Abraxis BioScience to focus on the nab technology platform.[26] Preclinical studies demonstrated improved pharmacokinetics, with higher intratumoral paclitaxel concentrations compared to Cremophor-based formulations.[24]
Phase I and II clinical trials, initiated in the late 1990s and early 2000s, confirmed the formulation's safety profile, allowing higher doses (260 mg/m² versus 175 mg/m² for Taxol) without routine premedication for hypersensitivity.[27] A pivotal Phase III trial in patients with metastatic breast cancer showed superior response rates (33% versus 19%) and progression-free survival compared to standard paclitaxel.[28] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Abraxane on January 7, 2005, as the first protein-bound nanoparticle drug for treatment of metastatic breast cancer following failure of combination chemotherapy or relapse within six months of adjuvant chemotherapy.[27][29] This approval established a new category of albumin-bound therapeutics.[30]
Advances in Immunotherapy and Cancer Research
Patrick Soon-Shiong has focused on harnessing the immune system to combat cancer, emphasizing the activation of natural killer (NK) cells and T lymphocytes to target tumors that evade standard treatments. Through ImmunityBio, he developed nogapendekin alfa inbakicept (Anktiva, or N-803), an interleukin-15 (IL-15) superagonist designed to expand and activate NK cells and CD8+ memory T cells while avoiding stimulation of regulatory T cells that suppress immunity. This agent received FDA approval on April 22, 2024, for use in combination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) to treat non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) that is unresponsive to BCG. In the pivotal QUILT-3.032 trial (Cohort A), Anktiva plus BCG achieved a complete response rate of 62% among 77 evaluable patients, with a median duration of response of 26.6 months and some responses exceeding 47 months.[31]
Soon-Shiong's approach addresses chemotherapy- and radiation-induced lymphopenia, which depletes protective NK and T cells, by using IL-15 agonists to rescue and proliferate these effector cells for sustained anti-tumor surveillance. He has engineered haNK cells, derived from the NK-92 cell line and modified to express high-affinity CD16 receptors and interleukin-2 for enhanced persistence and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. These cells form the basis of adoptive cell therapies, including targeted variants like PD-L1 t-haNK, which incorporate chimeric antigen receptors or bispecific engagers to focus on tumor-specific antigens. A case report documented treatment of recurrent pancreatic cancer with N-803 and PD-L1 t-haNK, highlighting potential synergy in overcoming T-cell escape mechanisms.[32][33]
The Bioshield platform integrates Anktiva with haNK infusions, checkpoint inhibitors, and other immunomodulators to create a multi-layered immune defense, aiming for tumor-agnostic, chemotherapy-free regimens. Early phase trials have reported complete responses in blood cancers and glioblastoma using NK cell components, though broader efficacy claims, such as in advanced lung cancer, lack support from survival data in some studies, prompting scrutiny over promotional narratives. Soon-Shiong proposed a general investigational plan to the FDA in 2017 for a therapeutic cancer vaccine applicable across tumor types, underscoring his pursuit of immune system priming to prevent recurrence irrespective of cancer histology. Ongoing clinical trials explore these combinations in solid tumors, with emphasis on lymphocyte recovery correlating to improved outcomes like reduced CA19-9 levels in pancreatic cancer cohorts.[34][35][36]
Business and Entrepreneurial Achievements
Founding and Growth of Pharmaceutical Firms
In the early 1990s, Soon-Shiong transitioned from clinical practice to pharmaceutical entrepreneurship, co-founding VivoRx in 1991 with his brother to advance diabetes treatments using encapsulated islet cells.[37] By 1994, VivoRx secured $5 million in funding from Mylan Laboratories, enabling expansion into cancer research via a new entity, VivoRx Pharmaceuticals, which evolved into American Pharmaceutical Partners (APP).[38]
APP, formally established in 1997, focused on manufacturing generic injectable pharmaceuticals, including oncology and anti-infective drugs, by acquiring underperforming facilities and scaling production.[39] The company went public via IPO in 2001 and grew rapidly, producing over 300 million vials annually by the mid-2000s.[37] In 2005, APP acquired its majority shareholder, American BioScience, in a $4.1 billion stock deal to integrate biotech assets.[40] This expansion culminated in its 2008 sale to Fresenius Kabi for $4.6 billion in cash, yielding substantial returns for Soon-Shiong, who held an 80% stake.[1][41]
Parallel to APP, Soon-Shiong advanced nanoparticle drug delivery through American BioScience, founded in the late 1990s to commercialize Abraxane, a protein-bound paclitaxel formulation invented in 1995.[16] American BioScience rebranded and merged into Abraxis BioScience, which obtained FDA approval for Abraxane in metastatic breast cancer in 2005, marking the first albumin-bound chemotherapy agent.[26] Abraxis expanded its pipeline into other cancers, achieving peak sales exceeding $1 billion annually for Abraxane by the 2020s under subsequent ownership.[41] The firm was acquired by Celgene in 2010 for $2.9 billion in cash and stock, with Soon-Shiong retaining significant influence as Celgene's largest shareholder at the time.[42]
Major Acquisitions and Sales
In 2008, Soon-Shiong sold American Pharmaceutical Partners (APP), a company he founded in 1997 specializing in generic injectable drugs, to Fresenius Kabi, a subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care, for $4.6 billion, including $3.7 billion in cash and the assumption of $940 million in debt.[43][38] This transaction marked one of the largest exits in the generic pharmaceuticals sector at the time and significantly contributed to Soon-Shiong's wealth, as he retained substantial ownership in APP prior to the deal.[1]
Following the APP sale, Soon-Shiong's Abraxis BioScience, which developed the nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel chemotherapy drug Abraxane, was acquired by Celgene Corporation in 2010 for $2.9 billion in cash.[44] The deal, announced on June 30, 2010, provided Soon-Shiong with over $2 billion personally due to his majority stake of approximately 80 percent in Abraxis. These two pharmaceutical exits—APP and Abraxis—collectively generated around $7.5 billion, establishing Soon-Shiong as a billionaire and funding subsequent ventures like NantWorks.[1][45]
On the acquisition side, Soon-Shiong's NantWorks portfolio pursued targeted deals, such as NantPharma's 2015 purchase of the cancer drug Cynviloq from Sorrento Therapeutics for $90 million upfront, plus potential milestones exceeding $1 billion. In 2017, NantWorks acquired a majority controlling stake in Integrity Healthcare, the management company for Verity Health System, thereby taking operational control of six California hospitals including St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles.[46][47] These moves expanded NantWorks into healthcare services and drug development, though they were smaller in scale compared to the prior sales.
Expansion into Media and Diversified Investments
In 2018, Patrick Soon-Shiong expanded his business interests into media by acquiring the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune from Tribune Publishing for $500 million, marking a strategic diversification from his core pharmaceutical and biotechnology ventures.[48] This purchase, executed through his investment entities, positioned him as a major player in legacy media amid declining print revenues, with Soon-Shiong emphasizing technological integration to modernize operations and expand digital reach.[49]
Through NantWorks, the conglomerate he founded to converge nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and informatics for health solutions, Soon-Shiong pursued diversified investments across healthcare infrastructure and digital technologies. In July 2017, NantWorks acquired a majority stake in Integrity Healthcare, securing control of six California hospitals from the bankrupt Verity Health System, aiming to apply data-driven platforms for operational efficiency and patient outcomes.[47] NantWorks further extended into digital media tools and entertainment sectors, including a 2015 investment in video creation platform Wibbitz during its $8 million Series B funding round, reflecting broader bets on content automation and IP management.[50]
Soon-Shiong's portfolio outside pharmaceuticals also encompassed stakes in clean energy and advanced manufacturing, leveraging proceeds from prior biotech sales—such as the $3.6 billion sale of Abraxis BioScience in 2010—to fund ecosystem-wide innovations. By 2023, these efforts included injecting over $470 million into ImmunityBio for immunotherapy expansion, alongside equity in emerging entities like Avenacy, a 2024 injectable drug developer co-founded with industry veterans, demonstrating sustained cross-sector capital deployment.[51][52] This diversification strategy, rooted in NantWorks' integrated model, sought synergies between AI analytics, biosciences, and media to address systemic inefficiencies in information and health delivery.[53]
Media Ownership and Reforms
Acquisition of the Los Angeles Times
In February 2018, Patrick Soon-Shiong agreed to acquire the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Spanish-language daily Hoy, and several community newspapers from Tronc Inc., the former Tribune Publishing Company, for $500 million plus the assumption of about $90 million in pension liabilities, bringing the total effective cost to approximately $590 million.[54][55][56] The agreement, announced on February 7, 2018, ended Tronc's control of the Los Angeles Times, which had been criticized for aggressive cost-cutting, layoffs, and attempts to influence editorial decisions during its brief tenure since the 2016 Tribune acquisition by Tronc's parent entity.[54][57]
Soon-Shiong, whose net worth at the time exceeded $7 billion primarily from pharmaceutical ventures like the development and sale of Abraxane, positioned the purchase as a commitment to restoring local ownership and bolstering independent journalism in Southern California, contrasting with Tronc's Chicago-based, profit-driven management under executive Justin Brill.[57][58] The deal faced no major regulatory hurdles but encountered delays amid Tronc's flirtations with potential buyers like Japan's SoftBank, pressuring Soon-Shiong to close amid broader industry consolidation.[59]
The transaction closed on June 18, 2018, with Soon-Shiong taking direct operational control and pledging significant investments—initially reported as hundreds of millions—to modernize operations, including digital platforms and staff expansion, while assuming full responsibility for the properties' ongoing pension obligations.[60][6] This acquisition diversified Soon-Shiong's portfolio beyond biotechnology into media, aligning with his stated vision of leveraging technology for truth-seeking journalism, though early post-sale financials reflected the Times' challenges with declining print revenue and digital transition costs.[61][62]
Editorial and Structural Changes
Following the Los Angeles Times' decision not to endorse a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked the editorial board's planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, citing a desire to avoid partisan bias and focus on policy analysis instead.[63][64] This action prompted the immediate resignation of editorials editor Mariel Garza on October 23, 2024, who described it as standing up against interference in the board's independence.[63][65] Two additional board members resigned shortly thereafter on October 25, 2024, further depleting the board amid internal tensions over the non-endorsement policy.[66]
The controversy accelerated the board's dissolution, with the last remaining member, Carla Hall, accepting a buyout in February 2025 after 32 years at the paper, marking the effective end of the original editorial board structure.[67] Soon-Shiong publicly described the board as an "echo chamber" and "very left," announcing plans in November 2024 to revamp it by incorporating more moderate and conservative voices to achieve ideological balance and reduce perceived liberal dominance.[68][69] In December 2024, he directed remaining opinion staff to pause writing editorials temporarily, emphasizing a rebuild toward non-partisan coverage that prioritizes factual reporting over advocacy.[70][69]
These editorial shifts aligned with Soon-Shiong's broader critique of the paper's pre-ownership practices, including its handling of local issues like crime and homelessness, which he argued reflected institutional biases favoring progressive narratives over empirical data.[71] While not altering core newsroom hierarchies immediately, the changes prompted internal rebuilding efforts, such as recruiting diverse viewpoints to counter what Soon-Shiong identified as systemic left-leaning tendencies in mainstream journalism, potentially influencing future opinion output toward greater pluralism.[70][68] No major structural overhauls to newsroom organization were reported by late 2025, though integration with Soon-Shiong's other media ventures, like NantGames, was floated as part of long-term operational synergies.[72]
Plans for Public Listing and Future Vision
In July 2025, Patrick Soon-Shiong announced plans to take the Los Angeles Times public within the next year, aiming to "democratize" the newspaper by allowing public ownership and investment.[73] He stated this intention during an appearance on The Daily Show, emphasizing a path to return the paper to the community while forming a new entity, the Los Angeles Times Media Group, to facilitate share offerings.[74]
On October 10, 2025, the Los Angeles Times Media Group launched a private placement offering of Series A Preferred Stock to accredited investors, targeting up to $500 million in fundraising as a precursor to a broader public offering.[75] The stock carries a 7% annual interest rate and is convertible at a 25% discount, with a minimum investment of $5,000; the placement is managed by Digital Offering LLC.[72] This step employs a Regulation A structure, potentially modeled after Newsmax's mini-IPO approach, leading to an intended initial public offering and listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "LAT" as early as fall 2026.[76] Soon-Shiong has indicated the group is nearing break-even operations and will not pursue acquisition offers, prioritizing financial sustainability.[72]
Soon-Shiong's future vision positions the Los Angeles Times Media Group as a "media company of the future," leveraging the proprietary Graphene platform to integrate traditional journalism with digital publishing, virtual production, and gaming capabilities.[75] This modernization seeks to enhance storytelling, foster community engagement, and expand global audience reach while preserving the paper's 144-year legacy and maintaining newsroom integrity.[75][72] The public listing is intended to provide capital for infrastructure upgrades and innovation, ensuring journalism remains at the core amid industry challenges.[75]
Philanthropy and Social Impact
Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation Initiatives
The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, established in 2008 by Patrick Soon-Shiong and his wife Michele B. Chan, primarily directs grants toward healthcare access, research, and disparity reduction, with most funding concentrated in the Los Angeles region.[77][78] The foundation typically awards 10 to 15 grants annually, ranging from $1,000 to $500,000 each, targeting organizations that align with its directors' priorities in medical innovation and community health.[78] In 2023, it disbursed $15,349,025 in grants to support these efforts.[79]
A cornerstone initiative involves a pledged commitment exceeding $1 billion to transform U.S. healthcare by addressing access barriers and integrating advanced technologies like data platforms for personalized medicine.[80][81] This pledge underpins targeted projects, such as the 2009 $100 million underwriting guarantee to facilitate the reopening of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in South Los Angeles, a facility serving underserved populations that had closed in 2007 amid operational failures; the guarantee supported a public-private partnership with Los Angeles County, enabling the hospital's relaunch in 2015.[82][83][84]
Other notable grants include $4 million awarded in 2013 to the University of California Global Health Institute to fund cross-campus collaborations on international health challenges, building on an initial anonymous contribution from 2011.[85][86] More recently, the foundation has supported post-pandemic research, contributing to a $15 million Long COVID initiative through partnerships with organizations like PolyBio Research Foundation, which explores viral persistence and related conditions such as cancer risks from SARS-CoV-2.[87][88] These efforts emphasize empirical advancements in immunotherapy and diagnostics over broad systemic reforms.[16]
Investments in Health, Education, and Community
The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, founded by Patrick Soon-Shiong and his wife Michele B. Chan, channels philanthropic resources toward improving access to health care, advancing health-related education, and supporting community health infrastructure, with the couple having pledged over $1 billion to these efforts.[89] The foundation's initiatives emphasize innovative medical research, global health programs, and targeted institutional support rather than broad general aid.[78]
In health care, the foundation committed $210 million in May 2021 to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development and production in South Africa, aiming to address equitable access in underserved regions amid the pandemic.[90] It also pledged $65 million to St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, to expand community-based medical services, including surgical and oncology capabilities, enhancing local preventive and acute care delivery.[91] These investments reflect a focus on practical, technology-driven health solutions over purely charitable distribution.
For education, the foundation granted $4 million in November 2013 to the University of California Global Health Institute, funding interdisciplinary programs that integrate training, research, and international collaborations to build capacity in global health workforce development.[86] This support prioritizes cross-campus initiatives at UC institutions to foster expertise in disease prevention and health equity, aligning with Soon-Shiong's background in medical innovation.[92]
Community investments often intersect with health, as seen in the foundation's backing of facilities like the Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber, which partners with educational entities such as Indiana University of Pennsylvania for clinical training programs in osteopathic medicine, formalized in June 2025 to prepare future physicians for rural and underserved areas.[93] Such efforts underscore a strategy of leveraging philanthropy to create self-sustaining community health ecosystems.
Political Involvement and Public Stances
Campaign Donations and Bipartisan Ties
Patrick Soon-Shiong has contributed to political candidates and committees across both Democratic and Republican parties. In the 2016 election cycle, he made a total of $112,994 in political contributions through six transactions.[94] He and his wife donated heavily to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign that year, aligning with Democratic priorities in health policy and other areas.[95][96]
Soon-Shiong has also supported Republican figures, including contributions to John McCain's campaign in 2016 and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.[97][98] In 2023, records show a donation to Joe Biden's campaign, continuing his Democratic giving, though a 2024 refund of $3,300 to Mike Pence's committee appears in federal filings.[99][99]
These donations underscore Soon-Shiong's bipartisan approach, often tied to advocacy for cancer research funding and healthcare innovation rather than partisan ideology. Following the 2016 election, despite his support for Clinton, he met privately with Donald Trump to discuss advancing medical technologies, demonstrating pragmatic engagement with Republican leadership.[100] His pattern of giving to both sides has been noted in coverage of his media ownership, where he has resisted ideological endorsements, such as blocking a Los Angeles Times presidential nod in 2024.[95]
Views on Media Bias and Policy Issues
Patrick Soon-Shiong has expressed concerns about pervasive bias in mainstream media outlets, including his own Los Angeles Times, describing them as operating in an "echo chamber" that fails to adequately separate news from opinion and lacks ideological diversity.[69][101] In December 2024, he announced plans to implement an AI-powered "bias meter" adjacent to news and opinion articles, designed to rate content for bias and suggest alternative perspectives from other viewpoints, aiming to restore public trust by making sources transparent and countering perceived one-sided narratives.[102][103] He has advocated for revamping the Times' editorial board by incorporating more moderate and conservative voices to achieve balance, criticizing existing coverage for ideological imbalance in both editorials and straight news reporting.[70]
Soon-Shiong's push for these reforms stems from his belief that major publishers' inadequate handling of bias contributes to declining credibility and could lead to the "downfall" of journalism, as evidenced by his decision to block the Los Angeles Times editorial board's endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.[101] He attributed this non-endorsement partly to the board's perceived echo-chamber dynamics and Harris's policy positions, particularly her support for Israel's military actions in Gaza, which he viewed as influencing biased internal deliberations.[104][105] On foreign policy, Soon-Shiong has aligned with pro-Israel stances, expressing dissatisfaction with U.S. administrations' approaches to the Gaza conflict under both Biden and Harris, and has appeared in conservative media to critique what he sees as unbalanced reporting on the issue.[106]
In health policy, drawing from his background in oncology, Soon-Shiong has criticized traditional cancer research paradigms for inefficiency, advocating instead for data-driven, immune-system-focused approaches that integrate AI and global collaboration, as outlined in his support for initiatives like the Cancer Moonshot without seeking federal funding but gaining endorsements from agencies like the FDA and NCI.[107][108] His broader policy outlook reflects a bipartisan pragmatism, evidenced by donations to figures across the spectrum, though recent actions indicate a tilt toward countering left-leaning institutional biases in media and governance.[109]
Engagements with Key Political Figures
Soon-Shiong engaged with Vice President Joe Biden on cancer research efforts in the mid-2010s, leveraging his expertise in immunotherapy to inform Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" initiative following the death of Biden's son Beau from brain cancer in 2015.[110] Their collaboration included discussions on accelerating clinical trials and innovative treatments, with Soon-Shiong positioning his own Cancer Moonshot 2020 as complementary to federal efforts.[111]
Following Donald Trump's 2016 election victory, Soon-Shiong met with the president-elect in November 2016 for a private dinner at Trump Tower, where they discussed healthcare policy and Soon-Shiong's vision for advancing treatments accessible to all Americans.[100] He described the encounter as an "incredible honor" and emphasized Trump's commitment to healthcare reform.[100] These interactions continued into early 2017, with Soon-Shiong holding at least two meetings with Trump and his advisers to explore potential roles in a Trump administration health policy, including ideas for disrupting traditional pharmaceutical models.[112]
In May 2025, Soon-Shiong encountered President Trump at a biotech and investment summit in Saudi Arabia, joined by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, amid discussions on global health innovation and Middle East diplomacy.[113][114] Soon-Shiong publicly shared video of the meeting on social media and later expressed optimism about Trump's second-term leadership in areas like cancer research and regional peace efforts.[113][96] These engagements reflect Soon-Shiong's pattern of bipartisan outreach on health policy, distinct from his media ownership decisions.
Controversies and Criticisms
Business Disputes and Legal Challenges
In 2005, Soon-Shiong was sued for securities fraud in connection with Abraxis BioScience, with allegations that he short-changed minority stockholders in a controlled company transaction.[115] The case highlighted tensions in his early biotech dealings, though specific outcomes remain less documented in public records compared to later disputes.
A prominent dispute arose in 2015 when Soon-Shiong's NantPharma acquired Cynviloq, an experimental nanoparticle paclitaxel formulation developed by Sorrento Therapeutics, for $90 million upfront plus potential milestones up to $1.2 billion tied to FDA approval.[116] Sorrento filed lawsuits in 2019 accusing Soon-Shiong of a "catch-and-kill" scheme to shelve the drug—a lower-cost alternative to his blockbuster Abraxane—and drain joint venture funds, thereby avoiding milestone payments and protecting Abraxane's market position.[117] In arbitration, Sorrento prevailed, securing a $125 million damages award against NantPharma, which a Los Angeles County Superior Court confirmed in March 2023.[118]
NantHealth, another Soon-Shiong venture, faced a 2017 federal securities lawsuit from an investor alleging violations through a scheme involving charitable donations that artificially inflated stock prices and benefited insiders.[119] The case, centered on Soon-Shiong's control and purported philanthropic maneuvers, settled in September 2022 for $1.6 million, including $400,000 contributed by Soon-Shiong personally to the company, alongside governance reforms and $1.25 million in legal fees.[120]
More recently, in August 2024, the Access to Advanced Health Institute (AAHI), a nonprofit Soon-Shiong supported with pledges totaling over $30 million via his foundation and ImmunityBio, sued him in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleging breaches of fiduciary duty by withholding final payments to redirect funds toward unrelated African initiatives, amid efforts to oust him from board control.[121] Soon-Shiong countered that AAHI mismanaged $18 million and failed agreed-upon priorities, leading to executive terminations; the case remains pending without a ruling on AAHI's requested restraining order.[121] Separately, in December 2024, a shareholder sued Soon-Shiong and ImmunityBio, claiming he misled investors on the regulatory prospects of bladder cancer drug Anktiva to profit from stock volatility.[115] These ongoing litigations underscore persistent scrutiny of his oversight in intertwined corporate and philanthropic structures.
Accusations of Interference in Media Operations
In October 2024, Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, blocked the newspaper's editorial board from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president, despite the board's preparation of such an endorsement.[122][63] This decision prompted the resignation of editorials editor Mariel Garza on October 23, 2024, who stated she was "standing up" for the principle of editorial independence.[63] Soon-Shiong cited concerns over perceived bias in endorsements and offered the board an alternative to publish a policy analysis instead, while his daughter Nika Soon-Shiong attributed the block to Harris's positions on the Gaza war.[123][124] The move drew criticism from the Society of Professional Journalists' ethics leaders, who decried it as interference undermining editorial autonomy, amid broader debates over owner involvement in presidential endorsements.[125]
Subsequent accusations emerged in December 2024 when Soon-Shiong reportedly killed an editorial board piece criticizing President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet selections, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services, and insisted it be published alongside a counter-op-ed promoting opposing views, which editorial staff described as baffling.[126] He followed this by directing the editorial board to "take a break" from writing opinion pieces, signaling plans to restructure it with additional moderate and conservative voices to address ideological imbalance.[69][70] Soon-Shiong defended these actions as efforts to combat left-leaning bias and foster balanced discourse, including proposals for a "bias meter" tool to flag potentially slanted content.[70][127]
Earlier tensions included a January 2024 clash with then-executive editor Kevin Merida over coverage of a wealthy doctor's disputes involving his dog, which contributed to Merida's departure that month; the story reportedly involved a figure connected to Soon-Shiong's interests.[128] In February 2025, a writer accused the Times of distorting an op-ed to align with Soon-Shiong's supportive stance toward RFK Jr., including downplaying Kennedy's role in vaccine skepticism during a 2019 measles outbreak in American Samoa.[129][130] Broader staff complaints, dating back to 2022, have alleged family meddling in news coverage and endorsements, exacerbating internal turmoil amid layoffs and subscription declines.[109] Critics, including the LA Times Guild, have condemned these interventions as eroding journalistic integrity, though Soon-Shiong maintains they aim to restore public trust by countering institutional biases.[127]
Scrutiny of Scientific Claims and Methods
Soon-Shiong's development of Abraxane, an albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel approved by the FDA in 2005 for breast cancer and later for other indications, has been credited with improved delivery and reduced hypersensitivity reactions compared to solvent-based predecessors, supported by phase III trial data showing superior progression-free survival in metastatic breast cancer. However, critics have questioned the magnitude of clinical benefits relative to costs, with some analyses indicating marginal gains in overall survival that may not justify the premium pricing, which exceeded $4,000 per dose at launch.[131]
His broader claims of revolutionizing cancer treatment through immunotherapy, nanotechnology, and AI-driven precision medicine, particularly via NantWorks subsidiaries, have drawn significant scrutiny for lacking robust empirical validation. In 2016, Soon-Shiong launched a "Cancer Moonshot" initiative promising to "solve cancer" by 2020 using natural killer (NK) cell therapies and genomic sequencing, but investigations revealed minimal peer-reviewed progress, with efforts appearing geared toward promoting his commercial platforms like NantHealth's GPS Cancer test rather than advancing fundamental science.[132] By 2020, independent assessments confirmed the initiative fell far short, with no transformative breakthroughs in clinical outcomes or methodologies.[133]
NantHealth's genomic profiling tools faced allegations of inflated efficacy claims, including sales boosted by physicians with undisclosed ties to Soon-Shiong, such as a key purchaser on his payroll, raising concerns over conflicts of interest and methodological rigor in test validation.[107] A 2015 whistleblower lawsuit accused his ventures of fraudulent practices, including unproven assays that could mislead treatment decisions and harm patients by prioritizing proprietary sequencing over established standards.[134]
Recent trials of ImmunityBio's BioShield platform, combining IL-15 superagonist Anktiva (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept) with NK cells, failed to demonstrate significant efficacy in advanced cancers, contradicting Soon-Shiong's promotional assertions of broad applicability; phase II data presented in September 2025 showed no meaningful survival benefits in non-small cell lung cancer cohorts.[34] [135] While Anktiva received FDA approval in 2024 for BCG-unresponsive bladder cancer based on specific trial endpoints, broader combination claims have been critiqued as overhyped, echoing patterns of preliminary data extrapolation without confirmatory large-scale randomized evidence.
Legal challenges have highlighted potential strategic suppression of competing methods, as in Sorrento Therapeutics' 2019 lawsuit alleging Soon-Shiong acquired Cynviloq—a non-toxic paclitaxel formulation rivaling Abraxane—solely to halt its FDA approval and market entry, thereby protecting market share rather than advancing superior science.[117] Such actions underscore criticisms that commercial incentives may prioritize proprietary control over open methodological innovation, though Soon-Shiong maintained the purchase aimed at further development.[136] Overall, while isolated successes exist, recurring patterns of ambitious pronouncements preceding underwhelming data have fueled doubts about the causal mechanisms underlying his approaches, with skeptics arguing they often repackage incremental advances as paradigm shifts without sufficient first-principles validation through reproducible, head-to-head trials.
Personal Life
Family and Relationships
Patrick Soon-Shiong was born on July 29, 1952, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to ethnically Hakka Chinese immigrant parents who had fled China following the Japanese invasion during World War II.[137] His father worked as a herbalist and operated two small grocery stores, while his mother raised ten children, including Patrick as one of the youngest.[38] [138] The family lived modestly in a dilapidated building in the North End neighborhood, reflecting their immigrant shopkeeper roots amid South Africa's apartheid-era constraints on Chinese communities.[12]
Soon-Shiong married Michele B. Chan, a former actress of Hakka descent also raised in South Africa, in 1977 after meeting her during his second year of medical school at a basketball game.[11] [8] Chan appeared in roles such as a recurring character on the television series MacGyver and other productions before shifting focus to family and philanthropy alongside her husband.[15] The couple, who share cultural ties through their Hakka heritage emphasizing community collaboration, relocated to Canada and later the United States for Soon-Shiong's medical training and career, eventually settling in Los Angeles.[11]
They have two children: daughter Nika Soon-Shiong, born February 26, 1993, who has pursued interests in media and entertainment, and a son whose details remain private.[139] The family supports philanthropic efforts via the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, focusing on health, education, and community initiatives.[81]
Soon-Shiong's relationships with siblings include documented tensions, such as a lawsuit filed by his brother Terrence Soon-Shiong, who aligned with investors against Patrick in a dispute over a diabetes research firm.[15] Another brother, Gregory Soon-Shiong, is noted in biographical records, though limited public details exist on their interactions beyond familial ties.[140]
Wealth, Residences, and Personal Interests
Patrick Soon-Shiong's fortune originated from founding and selling pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms focused on cancer treatments. In 2008, his company American Pharmaceutical Partners was acquired by Fresenius for $4.6 billion.[38] In 2010, Abraxis BioScience, developer of the chemotherapy drug Abraxane, was sold, contributing to combined proceeds from these transactions exceeding $9 billion.[141] Additional wealth derives from stakes in entities like NantWorks subsidiaries, a 4.5% ownership in the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team acquired in 2010, and media holdings including the Los Angeles Times purchased in 2018 for $500 million.[45] [1] As of October 25, 2025, Forbes estimates his net worth at $5.6 billion.[1]
Soon-Shiong maintains primary residences in Southern California. In Brentwood, Los Angeles, he owns a expansive compound assembled from 12 parcels, where he demolished seven existing homes in 2014 to construct a unified mega-property featuring amenities such as an underground NBA-sized basketball court.[142] [143] He also possesses the Twin Points estate in Laguna Beach, acquired in 2016 for $45 million—the record price for a single-family home in Orange County at the time—situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.[144]
His personal interests include philanthropy, particularly in healthcare and medical research. Through the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, he has supported initiatives in cancer treatment, community hospitals, and scientific innovation, including a pledge of over $55 million by 2008 for such causes.[145] Soon-Shiong maintains an active role in biotechnology invention, holding over 500 patents related to drug delivery and immunotherapy.[146] His minority stake in the Lakers reflects an affinity for professional basketball.[45]
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