Junshi Biosciences and Lilly to Co-develop Antibody Therapies for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19
May 04 2020 - 09:14AM
Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:
LLY) announced today they have entered into an agreement to
co-develop therapeutic antibodies for the potential prevention and
treatment of COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 novel
coronavirus.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Junshi Biosciences—a
China-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in discovery,
development and commercialization of novel therapies—launched one
of the industry’s first R&D efforts aimed at discovering
therapies to combat COVID-19. Multiple neutralizing antibodies have
been engineered, with the lead asset poised to enter clinical
testing in the second quarter.
“Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have been working diligently
to join the fight against the pandemic. Entering into this
agreement with Lilly empowers us to accelerate the clinical
development of Junshi SARS-CoV-2 antibodies globally,” said Ning
Li, M.D., Ph.D., Junshi Biosciences’ chief executive officer. “At
the same time, by leveraging Lilly’s global presence and
capabilities, we have the potential to reach broader COVID-19
patient populations in a wider range of countries and regions.”
“As the number of global cases continues to grow, there is an
urgent need to study multiple complementary approaches to address
this disease,” said Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., Lilly’s chief
scientific officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories.
“The data generated by Junshi Biosciences suggest the lead antibody
may have appropriate properties to support testing its therapeutic
use in patients as well as exploring its potential for preventing
infection in at-risk individuals. We look forward to partnering
with Junshi Biosciences to quickly begin testing this potential new
therapy in clinical trials.”
Lilly will receive an exclusive license to conduct clinical
development, manufacturing and distribution of products outside of
Greater China. Junshi Biosciences will maintain all rights in
Greater China.
About Junshi SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies JS016 is a
recombinant fully human monoclonal neutralizing antibody that is
specific to the SARS-CoV-2 surface spike protein receptor binding
domain and can effectively block the binding of viruses to host
cell surface receptor ACE2. The project is jointly developed by
Junshi Biosciences and Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy
of Science.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Junshi Biosciences
rapidly launched the research and development program of
neutralizing antibodies to combat COVID-19. Within two months, the
company has completed IND enabling pre-clinical studies, the
process development and production for GLP toxicity study and GMP
production of clinical material by leveraging the company’s
platform technology. Junshi Biosciences and Lilly aim to submit an
IND application and initiate clinical studies in the United States
in the second quarter of the year. Meanwhile, the company is
communicating actively with the Center for Drug Evaluation of the
National Medical Products Administration to initiate the IND
application submission in China as soon as possible.
About Junshi Biosciences Established in 2012,
Junshi Biosciences is committed to developing first-in-class and
best-in-class drugs through original innovation and becoming a
pioneer in the area of translational medicine to provide patients
with effective and affordable treatment options. On December 24,
2018, Junshi Biosciences was listed on the Main Board of the Stock
Exchange of Hong Kong with the stock code: 1877.HK. The Company has
established a diversified R&D pipeline comprising 21 drug
candidates with therapeutic areas covering cancer, metabolic
diseases, autoimmune diseases, neurologic diseases, and infectious
disease. Product types include monoclonal antibodies, fusion
proteins, antibody-drug conjugates, and small molecule drugs. With
a combined 33,000L fermentation capacity in two GMP-facilities at
Shanghai and Suzhou, Junshi has established the manufacturing
infrastructure to support commercialization and provide our
partners and patients with high-quality products through a global
supply chain network. For more information, please visit:
http://junshipharma.com/en/Index.html
About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly is a global
health care leader that unites caring with discovery to create
medicines that make life better for people around the world. We
were 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 us at
lilly.com and lilly.com/newsroom. C-LLY
Contacts:
Zhi Li; zhi_li@junshipharma.com; (8621) 61058800 (Junshi
Media)
Inger Chen; inger_chen@junshipharma.com; (8621) 61058800 (Junshi
Investors)
Michael Levitan; mlevitan@soleburytrout.com; (646) 378-2920
(Junshi Investors; Solebury Trout)
Nicole Hebert; Nicole_Hebert@lilly.com; (317) 701-9984 (Lilly
Media)
Kevin Hern; hern_kevin_r@lilly.com; (317) 277-1838 (Lilly
Investors)
Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024
Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024