Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited (HKEX: 1177), a leading, innovative research and development (“R&D”) driven pharmaceutical conglomerate in the PRC, has announced that the abstracts on phase II study on clinical efficacy and safety of Penpulimab (AK105, PD-1 monoclonal antibody) it jointly developed and commercialized with Akeso, Inc. (“Akeso”, HKEX:9926) in combination with Anlotinib for first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (“1L HCC”), have been accepted for poster presentation at the upcoming 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology (“ASCO”) Annual Meeting.
As of to date, various phase II/III studies on combination of Penpulimab with Anlotinib have been activated, regarding treatment of various major tumors including: squamous non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, HCC, urothelial cancer, head and neck cancer, MSI-H or dMMR solid tumor and neuroendocrine carcinoma.
Prof. Shunchang Jiao, Director of Oncology Department of General Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, also the leading Principal Investigator for this study, said, “The current option for treating unresectable HCC are mainly sorafenib and recently approved lenvatinib. The overall survival for levatinib was similar to that of sorafenib and the overall survival rate at 6 months for sorafenib was 72.2% . Anti-PD-1 Penpulimab in combination with lower dose of anti-angiogenic inhibitor Anlotinib shows encouraging early efficacy results and good safety profile for unresectable HCC. The DCR reached 84% and the overall survival rate at 6 months reached 91.6% which apparently was a great improvement on clinical efficacy. This combination therapy had a manageable safety profile, and had a potential safety advantage as compared with other combination therapies of immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic inhibitor. The preliminary results from this study suggest that Penpulimab with higher dose of Anlotinib may further improve the clinical efficacy for unresectable HCC patients. As a clinician, I look forward to bringing better treatment options for HCC patients in the near future.”
Dr. Jia Fan, Academician, Director of Fudan University affiliated Zhongshan Hospital, said, “Clinical results from a phase II study of anti-PD-1 Penpulimab in combination with anti-angiogenic inhibitor Anlotinib as first-line therapy for unresectable HCC to be released on the coming ASCO20 show that the combination therapy had a manageable safety profile and encouraging antitumor activities. Based on the preliminary data of this study, the evaluation of Penpulimab in combination with Anlotinib in a phase III study for first-line HCC versus sorafenib is currently underway. Co-leading sites Fudan University affiliated Zhongshan Hospital and General Hospital of People’s Liberation Army along with more than 60 other sites across the country participated in this study.
HCC, one of the most dominating malignant tumors in China, a barricade to invade, still needs more efforts on diagnosis and treatment. The rise of China-based innovative drug discovery and development is strongly promoting the continuous advances in HCC treatment in China. The combination therapy of Penpulimab, an anti-PD-1 antibody with key differentiating features, and the novel small molecule anti-angiogenic inhibitor of multi-targets Anlotinib is expected to become one of the essential first-line treatment options for HCC.”
Akeso is a biopharmaceutical company committed to R&D, production and commercialization of affordable innovative antibody drugs for patients worldwide. The ASCO Annual Meeting is one of the largest and most authoritative clinical oncology conferences in the world where top oncology experts worldwide gather to discuss the results of recent clinical oncology studies and the latest oncology treatment technologies. Many of these professionals select this conference to first announce important discoveries and clinical trial results.
About Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited (HKEX:1177)
Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited is a leading, innovative R&D driven pharmaceutical conglomerate in the PRC. Its business encompasses a fully-integrated chain which covers an array of R&D platforms, a line-up of intelligent production and a strong sales system. The Group’s products have gained a competitive foothold in various therapeutic categories with promising potentials, comprising a variety of biopharmaceutical and chemical medicines for treating liver diseases, tumors, cardio-cerebral diseases, orthopedic diseases, digestive system diseases, infections and respiratory system diseases.
Sino Biopharm is a constituent stock of the following indices: MSCI Global Standard Indices – MSCI China Index, Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng Index – Commerce & Industry, Hang Seng Composite Index, Hang Seng Composite Industry Index – Consumer Goods, Hang Seng Composite LargeCap Index, Hang Seng Composite LargeCap & MidCap Index, Hang Seng China (Hong Kong-listed) 100 Index and Hang Seng Stock Connect Hong Kong Index. Sino Biopharm was ranked as one of “Asia’s Fab 50 Companies” by Forbes Asia for three consecutive years in 2016, 2017 and 2018.