SHANGHAI and NANJING, China and SAN JOSE,
Calif., July 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- IASO
Biotechnology ("IASO Bio"), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in
discovering, developing, manufacturing, and marketing innovative
cell therapies and antibody products, and Innovent Biologics, Inc.
("Innovent", HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company
that develops, manufactures, and commercializes high-quality
medicines for the treatment of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune,
ophthalmology, and other major diseases, jointly announced the
agreement on a series of cooperation, including IASO Bio's purchase
from Innovent regarding its relevant right of FUCASO®
(Equecabtagene Autoleucel) and obtaining license from Innovent
regarding the intellectual property related to FUCASO®,
as well as Innovent's equity investment in IASO Bio.
According to the agreement, IASO Bio will purchase Innovent's
relevant rights of FUCASO® under the original "BCMA
CAR-T Cell Therapy Cooperation Agreement" at the agreed price and
Innovent will use the proceeds to acquire an 18% stake in IASO Bio.
Under the new strategic cooperation framework, the parties will
achieve high-level integration in the field of cellular
immunotherapy. IASO Bio obtains global commercial rights and the
intellectual property license for FUCASO® and will be
fully responsible for development, manufacturing and
commercialization of the product, while Innovent becomes a
strategic shareholder of IASO Bio.
FUCASO® was jointly developed by IASO Bio and
Innovent and was approved by the National Medical Products
Administration (NMPA) on June 30,
2023 to treat relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma
(RRMM) patients who have undergone at least 3 lines of prior
treatment and progressed. FUCASO® is the world's first
approved fully human CAR-T product, as well as the first approved
BCMA CAR-T product in China. On
March 28, 2024, FUCASO®
received the investigational new drug (IND) application for
treating RRMM patients who have undergone 1-2 lines of prior
therapies and are refractory to lenalidomide. In 2024, its IND
application for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as
refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) has also been
approved in both China and
the United States.
Ms. Zhang Jinhua, Founder, Chairwoman and CEO of IASO Bio,
stated: "We extend our gratitude to Innovent for their
recognition and trust in our research and development capabilities
as well as our commercialization strength. Over the past six years,
we have built a solid partnership with Innovent and witnessed each
other's innovation and growth in the biopharmaceutical field. We
firmly believe that this new strategic alliance will bring
significant synergistic effects to both parties. We can fully
leverage our strengths and work together to advance innovative
therapeutic solutions. We will remain committed to our original
mission of bringing more innovative treatments to patients and look
forward to achieving mutual success in our future strategic
partnership with Innovent."
Dr. Michael Yu, Founder,
Chairman and CEO of Innovent, stated: "We appreciate IASO
Bio for their expertise, innovation, and strong execution
capability in the field of cell therapy. We believe that the new
collaboration model will better leverage our mutual strengths and
resources. The new model will endow more integrated resources and
dedicated team in the full chain of manufacturing, development and
commercial operation of CAR-T cell therapy as a special novel
modality. Also, we will continue to support IASO Bio as a strategic
shareholder. We look forward to working with IASO Bio to improve
the accessibility of medications and bring hope to patients
worldwide."
About IASO Bio
IASO Bio is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery
and development of novel cell therapies and biologics for oncology
and autoimmune diseases. IASO Bio possesses comprehensive
capabilities spanning the entire drug development process, from
early discovery to clinical development, regulatory approval, and
commercial production.
The pipeline in the company includes a diversified portfolio of
over 10 novel products, including Equecabtagene Autoleucel (a fully
human BCMA CAR-T injection). Equecabtagene Autoleucel received New
Drug Application (NDA) approval from China's National Medical Products
Administration (NMPA) and U.S. FDA IND approval for the treatment
of RRMM.
Leveraging its strong management team, innovative product
pipeline, GMP production, as well as integrated manufactural and
clinical capabilities, IASO aims to deliver transformative,
curable, and affordable therapies that fulfil unmet medical needs
to patients in China as well as
around the world. For more information, please
visit http://www.iasobio.com or www.linkedin.com/company/iasobiotherapeutics.
About Innovent
Innovent is a leading biopharmaceutical company founded in 2011
with the mission to empower patients worldwide with affordable,
high-quality biopharmaceuticals. The company discovers, develops,
manufactures and commercializes innovative medicines that target
some of the most intractable diseases. Its pioneering therapies
treat cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic, autoimmune and eye
diseases. Innovent has launched 10 products in the market. It has 4
new drug applications under regulatory review, 4 assets in Phase
III or pivotal clinical trials and 18 more molecules in early
clinical stage. Innovent partners with over 30 global healthcare
companies, including Eli Lilly, Sanofi, Incyte, Adimab, LG Chem and
MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Guided by the motto, "Start with Integrity, Succeed through
Action," Innovent maintains the highest standard of industry
practices and works collaboratively to advance the
biopharmaceutical industry so that first-rate pharmaceutical drugs
can become widely accessible. For more information, visit
www.innoventbio.com, or follow Innovent on Facebook and
LinkedIn.
For further information, please
contact:
IASO Bio
Media: pr@iasobio.com
Investors: ir@iasobio.com
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SOURCE IASO Bio