Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc. (2696. HK) announced that the new drug application (NDA) for new indication of HANSIZHUANG (serplulimab injection), an innovative anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody independently developed by the company, in combination with drugs containing fluorouracil and platinum for the first-line treatment of patients with PD-L1 positive unresectable locally advanced/recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (the “NMPA”)，providing a new treatment option for patients with ESCC. Up to date, HANSIZHUANG has been approved for the treatment of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) solid tumors, squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sqNSCLC) and extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). To further benefit patients, Henlius continues to differentiate and optimize product portfolios and the roadmap of HANSIZHUANG in lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and other cancers.
Wenjie Zhang, Chairman, and Executive Director of Henlius, remarked, “ESCC is the fourth approved indication of HANSIZHUANG and its approval signifies that this high-quality anti-PD-1 mAb offers a new ray of hope for the treatment of difficult-to-treat gastrointestinal cancer. Since it launched in March 2022, HANSIZHUANG has benefited a wide range of patients with lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and other tumors, further solidifying its positive reputation with a strong brand effect. Moving forward, we will continue leveraging the strengths of HANSIZHUANG and fully tapping its potential to accelerate market expansion to provide affordable, innovative treatments to more patients worldwide.”
Jason Zhu, Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Financial Officer of Henlius, said, “Henlius is driven by unmet clinical needs and has devoted itself to precision immunotherapy for tumors. We are focusing on major cancer types, steadily expanding the clinical layout of HANSIZHUANG in multiple cancer types, and actively initiating immune combination therapy trials worldwide. The approval of ESCC further validates the potential of HANSIZHUANG and demonstrates the innovation capabilities of Henlius. We look forward to more positive study results of HANSIZHUANG to make further contributions to cancer treatment for more cancer patients.”
Prof. Jing Huang, the leading principal investigator of ASTRUM-007, from Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said, “ESCC is the most common pathological type of esophageal cancer with high clinical demand and relatively poor overall prognosis. The phase 3 clinical study (ASTRUM-007) on serplulimab plus chemotherapy for unresectable locally advanced/metastatic esophageal cancer achieved promising results, which was conducted on a large sample of the local population and fully demonstrated that serplulimab in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for locally advanced/metastatic and PD-L1 positive (PD-L1 CPS≥1) esophageal cancer patients can significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We are hoping that serplulimab will benefit more patients in clinical practice.”
