Suzhou Kintor Pharmaceuticals Completes NEEQ Listing Ceremony, Focused on Innovative Anti-Cancer Drug Development in China

2017Year2Month27Day,The listing ceremony of Kintor Pharmaceutical, a high-tech enterprise engaged in new drug R&D, on the New Third Board has concluded successfully. Three months after its successful debut on the New Third Board, this pharmaceutical company has finally held its official listing celebration.

Kintor Pharmaceutical, established in 2009, is a high-tech enterprise dedicated to the research and development of anticancer drugs, aiming to develop innovative, cost-effective medications of international caliber for Chinese patients. The company’s current R&D focus is on pyrilutamide, a second-generation androgen receptor antagonist primarily indicated for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In 2011, this project was included in the National “Twelfth Five-Year” Major New Drug Creation Program, making Kintor one of the smallest and most recently established enterprises among those undertaking projects under this initiative.

In 2009, Tong Youzhi, who had been engaged in drug research and development abroad for over two decades, returned to China to establish Kintor Pharmaceutical. Motivated by the desire to “contribute to the nation,” he was driven by the growing gap between China’s healthcare sector and international standards.

Co-founder and CTO Guo Chuangxin is a college alumnus of Tong Youzhi, with the two having met at Peking University. In 1998, after earning his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Purdue University, Guo Chuangxin embarked on his exploration in the field of new drug research and development. Over the past 15 years, Guo has been engaged in new drug R&D at Pfizer, where he led multiple projects and advanced several candidate drugs into clinical development stages.

With Tong Youzhi’s extensive experience in drug discovery, tumor biology, and oncology animal models, combined with Guo Chuangxin’s expertise in new drug development, Kintor Pharmaceutical has achieved notable success in R&D under their leadership. The company’s pipeline includes next-generation anti-prostate cancer drugs that inhibit the androgen receptor, as well as kinase-targeted inhibitors for the treatment of breast, lung, and liver cancers. Among these, prulokasin (KX-826), a Class 1.1 novel drug for prostate and breast cancer, is currently undergoing clinical trials in both China and the United States.

In addition to proxalutamide, Kintor Pharmaceutical’s pipeline includes kinase inhibitor-based anticancer drugs, kinase inhibitor-based anti-inflammatory drugs, and cardiovascular disease treatments. Tong Youzhi stated that the development of a new drug R&D company is closely tied to its projects; success with the first project would significantly benefit the company’s future growth. Compared with the United States, it is relatively easier to operate a new drug enterprise in China, because newly approved drugs in the U.S. are often required to replace the current best available therapies, whereas new drug development in China focuses more on filling unmet medical needs.

In 2012, the company secured angel-round investment from Legend Star. In addition to financial support, Legend Star assisted the company in conducting market forecasts for its drugs under development, enabling it to focus its R&D efforts on products with greater market potential. Subsequently, the company received further support from Yuansheng Venture Capital and Honghui Capital, which provided substantial backing for its product research and development.

The listing on the “New Third Board” marks another milestone in Kintor Pharmaceutical’s forward journey, holding profound significance for Legend Star, its earliest investor. It is believed that, leveraging the capital platform of the “New Third Board,” Kintor Pharmaceutical will achieve more sustained, stable, and far-reaching growth.