ROCKVILLE, Md and LUND, Sweden, Jan. 20, 2022 - CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASI), a U.S. biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics and pharmaceutical products, announced today, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to its partner BioInvent International AB, for BI-1206, an investigational anti-FcyRllB antibody, for the treatment of follicular lymphoma (FL), the most common form of slow-growing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
BI-1206 is BioInvent’s lead drug candidate and is currently being investigated in two Phase 1/2 trials. One is evaluating the BI-1206 combination with rituximab for the treatment of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which includes patients with FL, MCL and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) who have relapsed or are refractory to rituximab. A second Phase 1/2 trial is investigating BI-1206 in combination with anti-PD1 therapy Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) in solid tumors.
Dr. Wei-Wu He, CASI’s Chairman, and CEO commented, “BioInvent continues to make progress with the development and regulatory framework for BI-1206. The CTA approval in China in December 2021 and the recent FDA Orphan Drug Designation demonstrate the strong potential of this first-in-class antibody. CASI has China commercial rights of BI-1026, and our team is preparing for China’s clinical study. CASI and BioInvent are seamless partners and have the common goal to benefit patients with innovative pharmaceutical technologies.”
About BioInvent
BioInvent International AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: BINV) is a clinical-stage biotech company that discovers and develops novel and first-in-class immuno-modulatory antibodies for cancer therapy, with currently three drug candidates in four ongoing clinical programs in Phase 1/2 trials for the treatment of hematological cancer and solid tumors, respectively and a fifth program just initiating clinical development. The Company’s validated, proprietary F.I.R.S.T™ technology platform simultaneously identifies both targets and the antibodies that bind to them, generating many promising new drug candidates to fuel the Company’s own clinical development pipeline or for additional licensing and partnering. The Company generates revenues from research collaborations and license agreements with multiple top-tier pharmaceutical companies, as well as from producing antibodies for third parties in the Company’s fully integrated manufacturing unit. More information is available at www.bioinvent.com
About CASI Pharmaceuticals
CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a U.S. biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics and pharmaceutical products in China, the United States, and throughout the world. The Company is focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing products that augment its hematology oncology therapeutic focus as well as other areas of unmet medical need. The Company intends to execute its plan to become a leader by launching medicines in the greater China market leveraging the Company’s China-based regulatory and commercial competencies and its global drug development expertise. The Company’s operations in China are conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiary, CASI Pharmaceuticals (China) Co., Ltd., which is located in Beijing, China. The Company has built a commercial team of more than 100 hematology oncology sales and marketing specialists based in China. More information on CASI is available at www.casipharmaceuticals.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
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