Shanghai, China, May 19th, 2022-Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc. (2696.HK) announced that the first patient has been dosed in international multi-center phase 3 clinical trials (NCT05353257) of the company’s self-developed anti-PD-1 mAb HANSIZHUANG (serplulimab) in combination with chemotherapy and concurrent radiotherapy for the treatment of limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) patients in Chinese Mainland. The leading principal investigator of ths study is Jinming Yu，an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the president of Shandong Cancer Hospital. Previously, the NDA of HANSIZHUANG for the treatment of extensive stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) has been accepted by NMPA, making HANSIZHUANG potentially the world’s first PD-1 inhibitor for the first-line treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
According to GLOBOCAN 2020, lung cancer (LC) is the second commonly diagnosed and the first mortality cancer around the world. There were 2.2 million new LC cases and 1.8 million new deaths in 2020 worldwide, and LC is still the leading cause of cancer deaths[1]. SCLC accounts for 15%–20% of the total number of LC, which is featured by high malignancy, strong invasiveness, early metastasis, and rapid disease progression, with extremely poor prognosis. LC is divided into two stages, including limited stage and extensive stage, and 30%–40% patients are in limited stage at the time of diagnosis. The standard treatment regimens for LS-SCLC is surgery, chemotherapy and concurrent radiotherapy. Traditional chemotherapeutic drugs did not exhibit significant progress in patients with LS-SCLC, and most patients tend to develop drug resistance or rapid relapse[2–4]. The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors has been proved to bring hope to patients with ES-SCLC, but has not yet to show benefit in those with LS-SCLC. Rcecntly, HANSIZHUANG was recommended by the 2022 CSCO Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of SCLC for the treatment of ES-SCLC. The company is continuing to explore immuno-oncology therapy for LS-SCLC, with the goal of delivering more effective treatment for patients.
HANSIZHUANG is the first innovative mAb developed by Henlius. It has been approved by the NMPA for the treatment of MSI-H solid tumors. Underpinned by the patient-centric strategy, Henlius has carried out a differentiated and multi-dimensional layout in the field of gastrointestinal cancer and lung cancer, covering a wide variety of indications, such as lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and gastric cancer, etc. Up to date, more than 2,800 subjects have been enrolled worldwide for HANSIZHUANG clinical trials, which makes it a PD-1 inhibitor with one of the largest global clinical data pools and lays a solid foundation for future applications across the world. For the first-line lung cancer treatment, two global multi-center phase 3 clinical trials regarding sqNSCLC and ES-SCLC have been conducted in China, Turkey, Poland, Georgia and other countries and regions, with Caucasians accounting for over 30% of the total enrolled subjects, providing more diverse cases for clinical research. With the promising study results, two NDAs for the treatment of above indications have been accepted by NMPA. In addition, the FDA has granted orphan drug designation to HANSIZHUANG for treatment of SCLC, and Henlius also plans to file MAA on ES-SCLC in the EU in 2022.
Going forward, Henlius will continue conducting clinical studies for more innovative products, proactively exploring immuno-oncology combination therapy, bispecific antibodies and the antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), committing to bringing affordable and high-quality innovative biologics to patients around the world.
About NCT05353257
This randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase 3 clinical study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of serplulimab versus placebo, in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin/cisplatin-etoposide) and concurrent radiotherapy in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). Eligible patients will be randomised into two groups at a ratio of 1:1. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the antitumour activity of serplulimab plus chemotherapy and concurrent radiotherapy in LS-SCLC patients. The primary endpoint is overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints include progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and duration of response (DOR) assessed by investigators per RECIST 1.1, as well as safety and immunogenicity.
About HANSIZHUANG
HANSIZHUANG (recombinant humanized anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody injection, generic name: serplulimab injection) is the first innovative monoclonal antibody developed by Henlius. Up to date, 1 indication is approved for marketing in China, 2 NDAs have been accepted by the NMPA, and 9 clinical trials are ongoing across the world.
HANSIZHUANG was approved by the NMPA for the treatment of MSI-H solid tumors in March 2022 and actively promotes its synergy with in-house products of the company and innovative therapies. It has successively obtained clinical trial licenses in China, the United States, the European Union and other countries and regions to initiate 9 clinical trials on immuno-oncology combination therapies worldwide in a wide variety of indications, such as lung cancer, esophageal carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and gastric cancer, etc., and covering the full range of first-line treatments of lung cancers. As of now, the company has enrolled more than 2,800 subjects in China, Turkey, Poland, Georgia and other countries and regions, and the proportion of Caucasian is over 30% in two MRCTs, making HANSIZHUANG an anti-PD-1 mAb with one of the largest global clinical data pools. The NDAs of the treatment for squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sqNSCLC) and the first-line treatment of extensive small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) have been accepted by the NMPA. Furthermore, HANSIZHUANG was recommended by the 2022 CSCO Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) for the treatment of ES-SCLC and was also granted orphan drug designation by the FDA for treatment of SCLC. The MAA of ES-SCLC is expected to be filed in the EU in 2022, which makes HANSIZHUANG potentially the world’s first anti-PD-1 mAb for the first-line treatment of SCLC.
References
[1] Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, Bray F. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021 May;71(3):209-249.
[2] Faivre-Finn C, Snee M, Ashcroft L, Appel W, Barlesi F, Bhatnagar A, Bezjak A, Cardenal F, Fournel P, Harden S, Le Pechoux C, McMenemin R, Mohammed N, O'Brien M, Pantarotto J, Surmont V, Van Meerbeeck JP, Woll PJ, Lorigan P, Blackhall F; CONVERT Study Team. Concurrent once-daily versus twice-daily chemoradiotherapy in patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (CONVERT): an open-label, phase 3, randomised, superiority trial. Lancet Oncol. 2017 Aug;18(8):1116-1125.
[3] Wang Z, Wan J, Liu C, Li L, Dong X, Geng H. Sequential Versus Concurrent Thoracic Radiotherapy in Combination With Cisplatin and Etoposide for N3 Limited-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Cancer Control. 2020 Jan-Dec;27(1):1073274820956619.
[4] Ha IB, Jeong BK, Jeong H, Choi HS, Chai GY, Kang MH, Kim HG, Lee GW, Na JB, Kang KM. Effect of early chemoradiotherapy in patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer. Radiat Oncol J. 2013 Dec;31(4):185-90.