Shanghai, China, March 19th, 2021 - Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc. (2696.HK) announced that the Investigational New Drug (IND) application of HLX04-O, a recombinant anti-VEGF humanized monoclonal antibody ophthalmic injection jointly developed by the Company and Essex has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD). 

This is the second clinical trial approval HLX04-O has received outside of China , after the approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australia for initiating a Phase 3 clinical trial in January 2021. The two-part, Phase 3, global and multicentre clinical study of HLX04-O will be conducted to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of HLX04-O in patients with wAMD in the near future. According to the protocol of the clinical study, there will be 388 patients from Chinese mainand, Australia, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain and Poland enroll to the study. Previously, a series of studies including non-clinical pharmacodynamics, safety pharmacology, repeat-dose toxicity, pharmacokinetics, toxicokinetics, immunotoxicity, immunogenicity and local irritation of HLX04-O vitreous injection in the treatment of wAMD have been carried out, initially proving the efficacy and safety of HLX04-O.

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness in the elderly worldwide[1]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 30 million people have suffered from AMD globally, and about half a million people become blind due to AMD each year[2]. Wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) is characterized by the formation of subretinal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and is responsible for approximately 90% of cases of AMD-related blindness. Due to an aging population, wAMD has become a serious social medical problem and indicated a huge burden of unmet need[3]. With the development of treatment for fundus diseases, anti-VEGF drugs are becoming the first-line therapy for the management of wAMD[4], and the efficacy and safety of vitreous injection of bevacizumab for wAMD have been verified in multiple clinical studies-6.

It is believed that Henlius and Essex will speed up the global multicentre clinical trials of HLX04-O and apply marketing authorization in different countries and regions around the globe based on the research results. HLX04-O has the potential to be one of the first bevacizumabs approved for ophthalmic diseases, benefiting more patients with eye diseases worldwide. Looking forward, Henlius will continue advancing the development of innovative biologics on the basis of its established and integrated innovation platform, underscoring its long-term commitment to providing affordable and effective therapies for patients worldwide.

About HLX04-O
HLX04-O is a recombinant anti-VEGF humanized monoclonal antibody ophthalmic injection constructed using genetic engineering technology independently developed by Henlius. HLX04-O can inhibit VEGF’s binding to its receptor Flt-1(VEGFR-1) and KDR(VEGFR-2) on endothelial cells to inhibit the activation of its tyrosine kinase signaling pathway, inhibit endothelial cell proliferation and reduce angiogenesis, thereby treating eye diseases associated with angiogenesis. According to the requirements of ophthalmic drugs, the Company has developed HLX04-O which optimizes the prescription, specifications and production processes of HLX04, assuming that the active ingredients remain unchanged. 

About Henlius
Henlius (2696.HK) is a global biopharmaceutical company with the vision to offer high-quality, affordable and innovative biologic medicines for patients worldwide with a focus on oncology, autoimmune diseases and ophthalmic diseases. Since its inception in 2010, Henlius has built an integrated biopharmaceutical platform with core capabilities of high-efficiency and innovation embedded throughout the whole product life cycle including R&D, manufacturing and commercialisation. It has established global R&D centers and a Shanghai-based manufacturing facility certificated by China and the European Union (EU) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

Henlius has pro-actively built a diversified and high-quality product pipeline covering over 20 innovative monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and has continued to explore immuno-oncology combination therapies with proprietary HLX10 (anti-PD-1 mAb) as backbone. Up to date, Henlius has launched three mAbs developed independently: 漢利康 ^® (rituximab), the first China-developed biosimilar, 漢曲優 ^® (trastuzumab, Zercepac^® in the EU), the first China-developed mAb biosimilar approved both in China and in the EU and 漢達遠 ^® (adalimumab), the Company's first product indicated for autoimmune diseases. In addition, the New Drug Applications of HLX04 (bevacizumab) and HLX01 (rituximab) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are under review, and Henlius has conducted over 20 clinical studies for 10 products and 8 combination therapies worldwide, expanding its presence in major market as well as emerging market.

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