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Technology goes global, strong partnerships emerge in Nanjing – more good news is on the way!
Recently, Nanjing-based pharmaceutical company Sinavis announced that it has reached a sole licensing and cooperation agreement with global leading pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The two parties will jointly develop Sinavis’ self-developed dual-specificity antibody SIM0709, which is designed for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
This innovative drug, which is still in the preclinical stage, can obtain up to 1.058 billion euros (approximately 8 billion yuan) of overseas rights due to its innovative treatment method and potential huge market.
Why would a Chinese original drug that has not yet been launched attract international giants to invest heavily in its introduction? SIM0709 is not an ordinary antibody drug; it is a bispecific antibody that can target both TL1A and IL-23p19 simultaneously. In the field of inflammatory bowel disease, existing therapies mostly target a single pathway, while the occurrence and development of this disease often involve multiple signal pathways “interfering with each other”. SIM0709 is equivalent to a “double-headed missile”, synchronously blocking two core inflammatory pathways. Preclinical studies have shown that its effect is better than the combination of two single-target drugs, achieving a “1 + 1 > 2” synergistic effect.
There are over 3 million patients with inflammatory bowel disease worldwide, and the incidence is continuously rising in developing countries. This disease requires lifelong treatment, but existing drugs have limited effects for many patients, with frequent relapses and complications, and there are many unmet clinical needs, which is precisely the huge space for the future market.
“Shinobi Pharmaceutical and Boehringer Ingelheim, through this cooperation, will jointly promote the development of innovative therapies, with the aim of redefining effective treatment methods and improving the treatment and quality of life of patients worldwide,” said Zhou Gaobo, the chief investment officer of Shinobi Pharmaceutical.
The development of innovative drugs is a systematic project that requires going through various stages such as pre-clinical, clinical phase I, phase II, and phase III. Each stage requires a huge amount of research and development costs. Industry experts analyze that “currently, with the development of the domestic biopharmaceutical industry, many international pharmaceutical giants highly value the R&D capabilities of Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises. They will enter the new drug R&D process in advance by purchasing overseas rights, in order to seize the initiative in the process of new drug launch.”
The signing of this agreement indicates that German Boehringer Ingelheim has a very positive outlook on the development prospects of SIM0709, which is why they came forward and spent a large amount of money to “purchase innovation”. Both parties will jointly invest human and financial resources to more efficiently promote new drug R&D.
Zhou Gaobo said, “SIM0709 was developed by Sunwin Pharmaceutical’s multi-antibody technology platform and has the potential to be a ‘first-in-class’ product in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.”
Karin, the global head of immunology and respiratory diseases research at Boehringer Ingelheim, said, “Inflammatory bowel disease affects a large number of patients. Many people, despite using existing anti-inflammatory therapies, still experience continuous disease progression and severe complications. We are very pleased to partner with Sunwin Pharmaceutical to accelerate the development of this potentially innovative therapy that could change the lives of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.”
Behind each authorization lies the actual technical strength. In fact, this is not the first time that Xianxing Pharmaceutical has carried out technology exports. Previously, the company has reached authorization cooperation with a number of major pharmaceutical giants such as AbbVie in the United States, Aupix in France, and NextCure in the United States.
As of now, Xianxing Pharmaceutical has 5 self-developed innovative drugs in early research stages that have achieved overseas technology authorization licenses. The cumulative potential transaction amount has exceeded 4.6 billion US dollars. The funds obtained will be used to continue research and development, promote the establishment of more innovative projects, and accelerate the conduct of clinical research in China and overseas.
Biomedical science and technology, as an important part of our city’s “1026” industrial system, has witnessed a strong growth momentum in recent years. The story of “Nanjing Innovation, Global Ordering” has been repeatedly unfolding: Vistintibo and Dianthus Therapeutics have reached a sole global partnership, with a total transaction amount of up to 1 billion US dollars; Yujian Kang’an and Neurocrine Biosciences have reached a project cooperation, with a total potential value of 881.5 million US dollars…
And these innovative drugs that have achieved “technology monetization” are all genuine first-of-their-kind and best-of-the-kind products.
The original innovation from “0 to 1” is an extremely costly and risky “venture”. How to survive the test of the next three “10s”? In the field of biomedicine in Nanjing, there is never a shortage of supporters.
In recent years, Nanjing has successively introduced a series of policy documents, including “Several Measures for Promoting the High-Quality Development of Biomedical Industry in Nanjing”, covering the entire chain of talent research, industrial ecology, and overseas expansion.
In 2025, Nanjing will establish a 2-billion-yuan Zijin Biomedical Fund. Jiangbei New District will gather 14 special funds with a total scale of over 5.7 billion yuan, providing “living water” of funds for innovative projects. Last year, Nanjing approved three first-class innovative drugs, ranking among the top cities in the country. It is expected that the revenue of the biomedicine industry in Nanjing will exceed 225 billion yuan in the whole year.
