SAN FRANCISCO and SUZHOU, China, Oct. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — 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 and other major diseases, and Eli Lilly and Company (“Lilly”, NYSE: LLY), today jointly announce that HALPRYZA® (rituximab injection), a recombinant human/murine chimeric monoclonal antibody drug co-developed by Innovent and Lilly, has been officially approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for patients with diffuse large b cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in China. HALPRYZA® (rituximab injection) is Innovent’s fourth monoclonal antibody drug approved by the NMPA following TYVYT® (sintilimab injection), BYVASDA® (bevacizumab injection) and SULINNO® (adalimumab injection). It is also the second monoclonal antibody approved by NMPA that was co-developed by Innovent and Lilly after the approval of TYVYT®.

The clinical efficacy and safety of rituximab in CD20-positive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have been confirmed in several large-scale clinical trials. Rituximab injection, approved by FDA in 1997, is approved for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), rheumatoid arthritis (RA)，granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and moderate to severe pemphigus vulgaris (PV).  The efficacy and safety of rituximab have been well recognized worldwide. HALPRYZA® (rituximab injection) is a recombinant human/murine chimeric monoclonal antibody drug co-developed by Innovent and Eli Lilly. The launch of HALPRYZA® (rituximab injection) will provide Chinese patients with high-quality and relatively more affordable rituximab injection.

Dr. Hui Zhou, Vice President and Head of Oncology Strategy and Medical Sciences of Innovent, stated: “HALPRYZA® (rituximab injection) is another example of our success with the National Major New Drug Innovation and Development Projects and the fourth monoclonal antibody drug approved by the NMPA following TYVYT® (sintilimab injection)，BYVASDA® (bevacizumab injection), and SULINNO® (adalimumab injection). We hope to bring this high-quality drugs to more patients in need in China as soon as possible.”

Dr. Li WANG, Senior VP of Lilly China and Head of Lilly China Drug Development and Medical Affairs Center, stated: “We’re excited that Lilly and Innovent strategic collaboration has reached another success. Lymphoma is one of the malignant tumors with rapid growing incidence. However, the survival rate is also relatively higher than other tumor types when having appropriate treatment. The approval of HALPRYZA® (rituximab injection) will bring a new option to Chinese Lymphoma patients, help them to improve quality of life & prolong their survivals.”  

About Malignant Lymphoma

Malignant lymphoma is one of the most common hematological malignancies in China. It is one of the top ten malignant tumors with high morbidity and mortality. In recent years, the incidence of malignant lymphoma has been rising. According to histopathology, lymphoma can be divided into Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), of which NHL accounts for the majority. NHL is a general term for a series of related but different lymphoid malignant tumors. Most (80-85%) originates from B cells. The rest originate from T cells or NK cells. More than 95% of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cells express CD20. The incidence of NHL increases with age. The most common type of NHL in China is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), accounting for 40-50% (about 30-40% in Western countries). DLBCL is a moderately malignant to highly malignant invasive lymphoma that progresses rapidly and leads to the death of patients within a few months without treatment.

About HALPRYZA® (rituximab injection)

HALPRYZA® is rituximab injection and a recombinant human/murine chimeric monoclonal antibody drug. Rituximab binds to the CD20 antigen on the surface of B lymphocytes and mediates complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Normal and malignant B cells are targeted for destruction by the antibody, thereby achieving anti-tumor and immunosuppressive therapeutic effects.

About Innovent

Inspired by the spirit of “Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action,” Innovent’s mission is to develop and commercialize high quality biopharmaceutical products that are affordable to ordinary people. Established in 2011, Innovent is committed to developing, manufacturing and commercializing high quality innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune and other major diseases. On October 31, 2018, Innovent was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code: 01801.HK.

Since its inception, Innovent has developed a fully-integrated multi-functional platform which includes R&D, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), clinical development and commercialization capabilities. Leveraging the platform, the company has built a robust pipeline of 23 valuable assets in the fields of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune diseases and other major therapeutic areas, with four products, TYVYT® (sintilimab injection), BYVASDA® (bevacizumab injection), SULINNO® (adalimumab injection), HALPRYZA® (rituximab injection) officially approved for marketing in China, four assets in Phase III or pivotal clinical trials, and additional 15 molecules in or close to clinical trials. TYVYT® has been the only PD-1 inhibitor included in the NRDL since 2019.

Innovent has built an international team with expertise in cutting-edge biological drug development and commercialization. The company has also entered into strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly, Roche, Adimab, Incyte, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Hanmi and other international partners. For more information, please visit: www.innoventbio.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com.

About Innovent’s strategic cooperation with Eli Lilly and Company

Innovent entered into a strategic collaboration with Lilly focusing on biological medicine in March 2015 – a groundbreaking partnership between a Chinese pharmaceutical company and a multinational pharmaceutical company. Under the agreement, Innovent and Lilly are co-developing and commercializing oncology medicines, including TYVYT (sintilimab injection) in China. In October 2015, the two companies announced the extension of their existing collaboration to include co-development of three additional antibodies targeting oncology indications. In August 2019, Innovent entered into an additional licensing agreement with Lilly to develop and commercialize a potentially global best-in-class diabetes medicine in China. In August 2020, Innovent and Lilly announced an expansion of their strategic alliance for TYVYT. Its collaboration with Lilly indicates that Innovent has established a comprehensive level of cooperation between China’s innovative pharmaceuticals sector and the international pharmaceuticals sector in areas such as R&D, CMC, clinical development and commercialization.