On November 22, 2021 EQRx, a new type of pharmaceutical company committed to developing and delivering important new medicines to patients at radically lower prices, reported a strategic collaboration agreement with Abdul Latif Jameel Health, part of international diversified family business Abdul Latif Jameel (Press release, EQRx, NOV 22, 2021, View Source [SID1234595948]). Through the agreement, Abdul Latif Jameel Health will become EQRx’s regulatory and commercial partner for aumolertinib and sugemalimab, if approved, in selected markets throughout the Middle East region, as well as in Turkey and all of Africa.
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Aumolertinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, and sugemalimab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, have both shown promising Phase 3 data for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
"This strategic collaboration aims to expand the commercial reach of our lead oncology programs throughout the Middle East, Turkey and Africa and provide millions of people with access to affordable new cancer treatments," said Melanie Nallicheri, chief executive officer of EQRx. "We are excited to partner with Abdul Latif Jameel Health which brings extensive regulatory and commercial expertise in these vast regions as we continue to work to create sustainable access to innovative medicines globally."
"This agreement comes as we forge ahead in our mission to source, collaborate with and fund innovators within the medical world that are re-examining how to improve the current healthcare landscape by disrupting existing methods and working to accelerate the wider inclusivity of healthcare throughout the world," said Akram Bouchenaki, chief executive officer, Abdul Latif Jameel Health. "It’s our joint mission with EQRx to change that, a mission that is aligned with the values of the Jameel Family."
About Lung Cancer
Every 15 seconds, a person across the world is diagnosed with lung cancer, and every 18 seconds, a person dies of the disease, making it the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In 2020, an estimated 2.2 million people were diagnosed with lung cancer.1 NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for 84% of all lung cancer diagnoses.2
About Aumolertinib
Aumolertinib 110 mg once-daily is a prescription medicine approved in China as AMEILE for the treatment of patients with metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC, as detected by a genomic test, who have progressed on or after prior EGFR TKI therapy. Aumolertinib is a novel, irreversible EGFR-TKI that selectively inhibits both EGFR sensitizing and resistance mutations with high selectivity over wild-type EGFR. Aumolertinib was approved in China in March 2020 based on the large single arm Phase 2 APOLLO study in second-line settings. The ongoing Phase 3 AENEAS trial in first-line settings met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival and topline results were presented at the 2021 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. Hansoh Pharma and EQRx have partnered to expand global access to aumolertinib. EQRx holds the development and commercialization rights to aumolertinib outside of Greater China and is pursuing regulatory discussions in multiple countries.
About Sugemalimab
Sugemalimab is an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) discovered by CStone Pharmaceuticals. Authorized by the U.S.-based Ligand Corporation, sugemalimab is developed by the OmniRat transgenic animal platform, which can generate fully human antibodies in one stop. As a fully human, full-length anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, sugemalimab mirrors the natural G-type immunoglobulin 4 (IgG4) human antibody, which reduces the risk of immunogenicity and potential toxicities in patients, a potential advantage during treatment. Currently, sugemalimab is being investigated in a number of ongoing clinical trials including four Phase 3 registration studies in Stage III NSCLC (GEMSTONE-301), Stage IV NSCLC (GEMSTONE-302), gastric cancer, and esophageal cancer. Both the GEMSTONE-301 and GEMSTONE-302 studies met their primary endpoints of progression free survival and results were recently presented at global medical congresses. In November 2020, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China accepted the New Drug Application for sugemalimab combined with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of advanced squamous and non-squamous NSCLC patients. EQRx holds the development and commercialization rights to sugemalimab outside of Greater China and plans to pursue regulatory discussions in multiple countries.