Pudong Innovative Drugs Enter Saudi Market: A New Model of International Medical Collaboration and a Surge in Biopharma R&D Achievements

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(Source: Shanghai Observation News)

On November 10, Fosun Kite Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and Saudi Fakeeh Care Group officially signed a Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation. This signing focuses on the CAR-T cell therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Immunotherapy) field, with both parties reaching a cooperation intention to jointly promote the clinical implementation and localized development of this technology in Saudi Arabia. This also signifies that China's cutting-edge cell therapy has charted a brand-new "Saudi pathway" for its international expansion.

Cutting-edge Technology Cooperation "Going Overseas" Pioneers a New Model of Medical Collaboration

According to the memorandum of cooperation, Fosun Kite Biotechnology Co., Ltd. plans to provide advanced CAR-T cell therapy products and technology, while Fakeeh Group, with its deep local roots, intends to lead the localization of production, registration, and commercialization of the products. In the future, cell therapy products applied in Saudi Arabia will no longer be simple imported drugs but an innovative outcome of localized production that leverages Fosun Kite's advanced processes and manufacturing technology integrated with local resources.

In recent years, the field of cellular immunotherapy has seen significant breakthroughs. CAR-T therapy, as a novel approach to cancer treatment, has brought new hope to patients with hematological malignancies. Axicabtagene ciloleucel injection, introduced by Fosun Kite Biotechnology Co., Ltd. located in Pudong, was approved for marketing in June 2021 and became China's first CAR-T cell therapy product.

Reporters learned that currently, the Akilun Injection has been successfully included in more than 110 city惠民insurance plans and 80 commercial insurance plans. The treatment centers cover over 190 hospitals across 29 provincial administrative regions in China.

A Batch of Domestic Innovative Drugs Successfully "Going Global"

Focusing on "original creation, first launch, and going global," Pudong's "innovative drug" R&D achievements have also entered a period of explosive growth, with nearly 2,000 pipelines currently under research, including more than 800 Class I new drugs, accounting for about one-fifth of the total in China.

Recently, the marketing authorization application for China of Class 1 innovative drug Cometriqumab Injection (R&D code: MG-K10), submitted by Shanghai Maiji Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a Pudong-based innovative pharmaceutical company, has been accepted by the National Medical Products Administration of China. The acceptance number is CXSS2500116, and the product is intended for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.

Notably, this innovative drug is expected to become the world's first marketed long-acting anti-IL-4Rα monoclonal antibody, with the potential to be the best-in-class.

The reporter learned that, asZhangjiang High-Tech"One of the key enterprises under the 'Investment, Recruitment, Incubation, Service' industrial cultivation system, Shanghai Maiji Biotechnology Co., Ltd. has been focusing on the research and development of antibody drugs for allergic and autoimmune chronic inflammatory diseases since its establishment in Zhangjiang in 2016. It has received an A+ round of financing led by Zhangjiang High-Tech's member unit, Zhangjiang Haoheng. In addition to MG-K10, Maiji Biotechnology's TSLP monoclonal antibody (with a half-life exceeding 80 days) has entered Phase II clinical trials for asthma, while the half-life extended MASP-2 monoclonal antibody has obtained an IND (Investigational New Drug Application) approval."

In Pudong, innovative companies are not only transitioning from "imitation" to "innovation," but are also gradually making profound changes to the global landscape of new drug research and development at their own pace.

Zhangjiang Pharm Valley company XtalPi recently announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, ailux, an AI-driven innovator in biologics R&D, has reached a multi-target strategic cooperation and platform licensing agreement with global top pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. The total value of the agreement can reach up to $345 million. This follows the $250 million AI small molecule drug collaboration between XtalPi and Eli Lilly in 2023, marking another partnership between the two parties. XtalPi has become one of the very few AI drug research companies globally to establish high-value collaborations in both AI large-molecule biologics and AI small molecule drugs with internationally leading pharmaceutical enterprises, reaffirming its commercial value.

Author of Shangguan Channel: Pudong Observation