BEIJING, Feb. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Forum for the National Mega Innovation Program in conjunction with the press conference on the launch of Tyvyt® (fully human anti-PD-1 therapeutic monoclonal antibody, generic name: sintilimab injection), hosted by Innovent Biologics, Inc. (Innovent) (HKEX: 01801), and co-sponsored by the China Association of Productivity Promotion Centers (CAPPC), was successfully held in Beijing today. During the press conference, Innovent also announced the launch of the Clinical Oncology Research Fund, jointly initiated by the Beijing Xisike Clinical Oncology Research Foundation and Innovent, which encourages doctors to conduct more translational research in oncology and to improve their skills in the diagnosis and treatment of patients in China.
The conference was attended by Guowei Sang, Chief of the National Mega Innovation Program; Qing Yang, Director of the Office of Innovation Program; Yan Sun, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Yuankai Shi, Vice President of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Ruilin Song, Executive Chairman of the China Medical Innovation Promotion Association; Jun Liang, Vice President of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology; Dr. Michael Yu, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Innovent; Dr. Yizhe Wang, Senior Vice President of Lilly China; and Min Liu, Chief Commercial Officer of Innovent.
The participants discussed and expressed the excitement with the pending launch of Tyvyt® (sintilimab injection) by Innovent which exemplifies the important achievement of the National Mega Innovation Program. The approval of Tyvyt® (sintilimab injection) underscores Innovent's capabilities in the discovery and development of large molecule drugs and enables Innovent's delivery on its social responsibility to offer innovative drugs affordable to patients in China. The participants also noted that the clinical results, published in the Lancet Hematology, were well recognized by the international medical community. Recently, Innovent entered the drug into clinical development in the United States, with the goal to ultimately benefit more patients worldwide.
About Tyvyt® (sintilimab injection)
Tyvyt® (sintilimab injection) is an innovative drug jointly developed in China by Innovent and Eli Lilly and Company. Innovent is currently conducting the clinical studies of sintilimab injection in the United States. Tyvyt® (sintilimab injection) is a type of immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody, which binds to PD-1 molecules on the surface of T-cells, blocks the PD-1/ PD-1 Ligand-1 (PD-L1) pathway and reactivates T-cells to kill cancer cells. Tyvyt® (sintilimab injection) is the only PD-1 antibody in China branded by both a local biopharmaceutical company and a global pharmaceutical company. Tyvyt® (sintilimab injection) has been granted marketing approval by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (r/r cHL). There are currently more than twenty clinical studies of sintilimab injection, including seven registration studies, are ongoing to evaluate the efficacy of sintilimab injection on other solid tumors.
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 oncology, autoimmunity 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 it was founded, Innovent has developed a fully-integrated platform which includes R&D, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), clinical development and commercialization capabilities. Leveraging the platform, the company has built up a robust pipeline of 20 innovative assets in the fields of oncology, ophthalmology, autoimmunity, and cardiovascular diseases. Fourteen assets have entered into clinical development, four have entered Phase III clinical trials, two monoclonal antibodies have their New Drug Application (NDA) under review and one, Tyvyt® (sintilimab injection), is now approved for relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (r/r cHL).
Innovent has built an international team of advanced talents in high-end biological drug development and commercialization, including many overseas experts. The company has also entered into strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly and Company, Adimab, Incyte, Hanmi and other international pharmaceutical companies. Innovent strives to work with all relevant parties to help advance China's biopharmaceutical industry, improve drug availability to ordinary people and enhance the quality of the patients' lives. For more information, please visit: www.innoventbio.com.
About Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. It was 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: www.lilly.com.
About the partnership between Innovent Biologics and Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly and Innovent in March 2015 announced one of the largest biotech drug development collaborations in China to date between a multinational and a domestic company. Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly and Innovent shall collaborate on the development and potential commercialization of at least three cancer treatments over the next decade including Anti PD-1. In October 2015, they announced an expansion of their drug development collaboration. This collaboration is one of the most comprehensive strategic partnerships struck by a Chinese company with a multinational partner, with the scope and breadth ranging from discovery to commercialization and involving up to six therapeutic antibodies for cancers.