Simcere Pharma Partners with Connect Biopharma For Innovation

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Limited signed into an exclusive licensing and partnership agreement with Connect Biopharma HongKong Limited In respect to Rademikibart, a novel IL-4R monoclonal antibody.

Pursuant to the Agreement, Simcere obtains the exclusive rights in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of Rademikibart for all indications in Greater China. Connect will retain its rights outside Greater China and will complete the ongoing pivotal clinical trial for atopic dermatitis (AD) treatment and other ongoing clinical trials. Simcere will independently conduct future clinical trials in Greater China, as per Simcere Pharmaceutical.

According to Simcere's release, this agreement will expand the company's autoimmune product range and boost the synergistic impact in its commercialization efforts.

Rademikibart (CBP-201) is a completely humanized monoclonal antibody that targets IL-4R, a shared component of the IL-4 receptor and the IL-13 receptor, which is also the active target of the FDA-approved breakthrough treatment Dupixent. Rademikibart may efficiently limit the activities of IL-4 and IL-13 by binding with IL-4R, hence preventing the Th2 inflammatory pathway and treating Th2-related inflammatory illnesses such as AD and asthma.

Both Alzheimer's disease and asthma are frequent chronic inflammatory disorders. According to Frost & Sullivan, the global population of persons living with AD reached 649 million in 2019 and is anticipated to rise to 755 million by 2030. Asthma affected 746 million people worldwide in 2019, with that figure anticipated to climb to 858 million by 2030.

The only IL-4Ra-targeting medication licensed for marketing is duplizumab (Dupixent). It was developed together by Sanofi and Regeneron and has had extraordinary market growth since its introduction.