InnoCare and Keymed Jointly Announce Approval of Clinical Trial of CCR8 Monoclonal Antibody CM369

BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--InnoCare Pharma (HKEX: 09969) and Keymed Biosciences (HKEX: 02162) jointly announced today that the Investigational New Drug (IND) of CM369, an anti-CC chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) monoclonal antibody, developed by a joint venture between the two companies called Tiannuojiancheng Pharma, has been approved by the China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).

CM369 is a potential first-in-class drug co-developed by InnoCare and Keymed as a monotherapy or in combination with other therapies for the treatment of various cancers.

CCR8 is a highly promising immuno-oncology target. CM369 binds to CCR8 on Tregs and eradicates immunosuppressive Tregs through ADCC to augment the anti-tumor immunity in TME while preserving peripheral homeostasis. CM369 has the potential to deliver optimal tumor targeted Treg depletion and be more specific in anti-tumor activity than other immunotherapies.

Dr. Jasmine Cui, Co-Founder, Chairwoman and CEO of InnoCare, said: “CM369 is our third large molecule drug entering the clinical stage, and it is also the 12th innovative drug approved for clinical trial. CM369 selectively depletes Tregs in the tumor microenvironment, which is more specific than other immunotherapies. We will work with Keymed to accelerate clinical development, so that this potential first-in-class drug can benefit patients with advanced solid tumors earlier."

Dr. Bo Chen, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Keymed Biosciences, said: “CCR8 is a specific target for Treg cells in tumors. CM369 has demonstrated durable efficacy and excellent safety in preclinical studies, and has a potential for combination with other therapies to kill tumor cells by synergistic effects. We look forward to working with InnoCare to accelerate the clinical development of CM369 at full speed, so that patients can benefit from our innovation as soon as possible."

About InnoCare

InnoCare is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing first-in-class and/or best-in-class drugs for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. We strategically focus on lymphoma, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases with high unmet medical needs in China and worldwide. InnoCare has branches in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Unites States.

About Keymed Biosciences

Keymed Biosciences is a biotechnology company focused on the in-house discovery and development of innovative biological therapies in the autoimmune and oncology therapeutic areas. We have established a fully-integrated platform encompassing all of the key functions in the biologic drug development, which enabled us to rapidly and cost-effectively identify, build, expand and advance our diversified pipeline. Keymed Biosciences has branches in Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan.

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