* Novartis’s China foray follows Pfizer deal in September * Swiss drugmaker playing catch-up on cancer immunotherapy * Novartis CEO was previously tepid on Chinese assets Jan 12 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Novartis paid $650 million to snag an immuno-oncology drug from BeiGene Ltd , the latest Western drugmaker turning to China for must-have assets to fill holes in their cancer portfolios. Novartis Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan’s move, which could bring $1.55 billion in milestone payments and royalties for BeiGene, is also an about-face from comments two years ago when he raised data quality and innovation worries as barriers to Big Pharma’s Chinese M&A dreams.