3SBio Allies With PharmAbcine For Anti-VEGF Tanibirumab

China-based biotech firm 3SBio announced that it has signed an exclusive license agreement with clinical stage biotech firm PharmAbcine for Tanibirumab in Greater China and other territories.

Tanibirumab is an anti-VEGFR2/KDR fully human monoclonal antibody (mAb) developed by PharmAbcine, which is designed to target solid tumors and inhibit angiogenesis. The drug inhibits ligand-induced angiogenesis, proliferation, and migration of human endothelial cells by inhibiting ligand-stimulated activation of KDR. Tanibirumab has demonstrated anti-angiogenic ability against several cancers in multiple preclinical animal models and exhibited favorable safety and efficacy profiles in an early-stage trial completed last year.

Angiogenesis is linked with disease progression and poor prognosis in numerous tumor types, including colon, breast, lung, and gastric cancers. VEGF and KDR (VEGFR2) are found to be abundant in most malignant tumors, and their signaling is known as a key regulator for tumor angiogenesis.

Under the terms of the agreement, 3SBio and PharmAbcine will develop, manufacture, and market Tanibirumab in Greater China territories including Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as other emerging countries Thailand, Russia, and Brazil. The agreement includes upfront, milestone, and royalty payments, which were not disclosed by either company.

More than a million patients in China are diagnosed with cancer every year. Dr. Jing Lou, President and CEO of 3SBio, said, “We are pleased to collaborate with PharmAbcine and look forward to moving Tanibirumab into clinical trials in China, 3SBio continues… to expand our biologics pipeline, especially novel mAb candidates for refractory or metastatic cancers and other unmet medical needs, particularly in 3SBio's core therapeutic areas of oncology and nephrology."

Dr. Jin-San Yoo, President and CEO of PharmAbcine, said, “Tanibirumab is a drug candidate with great potential to treat malignant tumors… We are looking forward to working with 3SBio to maximize this opportunity and benefit tens of thousands of Chinese patients suffering for cancers and other severe diseases.”

3SBio has signed up agreements with other firms for cancer treatments. In June, the firm announced an exclusive license agreement with Selecta Biosciences for its lead drug candidate Pegsiticase. In August, 3SBio licensed anti-leukemic mAb Leukotiximab from DiNona in China and the Middle East.