BRIEF—Today's China snippets

Chinese pharma Hengrui and its Japanese peer Oncolys Biopharma have terminated their partnership on the potential solid tumor treatment telomelysin (OBP-301), an oncolytic virus.

Hengrui licensed the candidate in 2016 to develop and commercialize it in greater China, but the two companies grew apart over drug development strategies, according to Oncolys.

In China, the candidate is still under pre-clinical development. #

Oncolys is actively seeking a new partner in the greater China area.

China has about 10 oncolytic virus candidates in various clinical stages, including Adlai Nortye's pelareorep (licensed from the Canadian biotech Oncolytics in 2017) under Phase III studies treating late-stage/metastatic breast cancer, and Orien Gene's potential melanoma treatment OrienX010 that is under Phase II studies.

Approval of Kang Hong

Separately, Kang Hong Pharma, a biotech based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has received approval of its new drug application for its neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) injection Lumitin (conbercept).

In China, Lumitin was approved for three indications - nAMD, pm choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and diabetic macular edema (DME)-induced eyesight damages.

Lumitin sales in China reached1 billion renminbi ($141.4 million) in 2019, up 32.5% from 2018, according to NMPA.

The drug was developed by the Chinese scientist Michael Yu, chief executive at the biotech Innovent.