Thursday, August 25, 2022
InnoCare Pharma and Keymed Biosciences jointly announced today that the Investigational New Drug (IND) of CM369, an anti-CC chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) monoclonal antibody, developed by a joint venture between the two companies called Tiannuojiancheng Pharma, has been approved by the China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).
CM369 is a potential first-in-class drug co-developed by InnoCare and Keymed as a monotherapy or in combination with other therapies for the treatment of various cancers.
CCR8 is a highly promising immuno-oncology target. CM369 binds to CCR8 on Tregs and eradicates immunosuppressive Tregs through ADCC to augment the anti-tumor immunity in TME while preserving peripheral homeostasis. CM369 has the potential to deliver optimal tumor targeted Treg depletion and be more specific in anti-tumor activity than other immunotherapies.
Dr. Jasmine Cui, Co-Founder, Chairwoman and CEO of InnoCare, said: “CM369 is our third large molecule drug entering the clinical stage, and it is also the 12th innovative drug approved for clinical trial. CM369 selectively depletes Tregs in the tumor microenvironment, which is more specific than other immunotherapies. We will work with Keymed to accelerate clinical development, so that this potential first-in-class drug can benefit patients with advanced solid tumors earlier."
Dr. Bo Chen, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Keymed Biosciences, said: “CCR8 is a specific target for Treg cells in tumors. CM369 has demonstrated durable efficacy and excellent safety in preclinical studies, and has a potential for combination with other therapies to kill tumor cells by synergistic effects. We look forward to working with InnoCare to accelerate the clinical development of CM369 at full speed, so that patients can benefit from our innovation as soon as possible."
