On September 17, 2021 InnoCare Pharma (HKEX: 09969) and Keymed Biosciences (HKEX: 02162) reported that the Investigational New Drug (IND) of CM355, a CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody developed by a joint venture between the two companies called Tiannuojiancheng Pharma, has been cleared by the China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) (Press release, InnoCare Pharma, SEP 17, 2021, View Source [SID1234587912]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
CM355 binds to CD20 on the tumor cells and CD3 on the T cells, redirects and activates T cells to eradicate tumor cells through T-cell Directed Cellular Cytotoxicity (TDCC) in the treatment of CD20+ B-cell malignancies.
Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are the main type of CD20+ B-cell malignancies, accounting for 80%-90%, which include diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL).
Dr. Jasmine Cui, Co-Founder, Chairwoman and CEO of InnoCare, said: "With the rapid growth of China’s economy and aging population, the incidence of lymphoma is continuing to rise. InnoCare and Keymed are both in-house innovation driven hi-tech companies committed to addressing unmet clinical needs. I am excited to see that the CD20xCD3 antibody developed through our collaboration has been approved for clinical trials. We will work together to accelerate the clinical trial to benefit patients sooner."
Dr. Chen Bo, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Keymed Biosciences, said: "This is the first IND-approved therapy developed by our nTCE bispecific antibody platform. B-cell malignancies are currently one of the most common types of cancers in the clinics, and pose a serious threat to public health. Preclinical studies show that CM355 is very effective in the B-cell malignancies treatment. We will work with InnoCare and investigators to advance CM355 studies."
On September 3, 2021, InnoCare and Keymed Biosciences signed a strategic cooperation agreement at the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services to strengthen R&D collaboration between the two parties, aiming at developing First-in-class and Best-in-class innovative large molecular drugs to benefit patients.