China FDA Accepts JHL's First Clinical Trial Application

JHL Biotech’s clinical trial application (CTA) for JHL1101 in Phase 1 and Phase 3 clinical trials in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients has been accepted by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). JHL is filing under the new guidelines for biosimilars issued in 2015.

JHL1101 is a proposed rituximab biosimilar that JHL is pursuing as part of its strategic biologics alliance with Sanofi, and it is the first product in JHL's pipeline. Material used to support the CTA was manufactured at JHL's facility in Wuhan, China, where JHL operates its biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility that is based on single-use technologies. Rituximab is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In China, rituximab is used to treat NHL.

JHL is developing biosimilars for Chinese and global markets. In addition to conducting trials in China, JHL is the only Greater China-based biosimilars developer to have received EU and Taiwan, Chinaese regulatory approval to conduct clinical trials of the proposed rituximab biosimilar.

"This submission represents years of work," said Racho Jordanov, co-founder and chief executive officer, JHL. "It is a milestone for JHL and the first of many submissions to come. This is JHL's first step towards making an important oncology therapy more accessible and affordable to Chinese patients, and I am exceptionally proud of our fantastic team for making JHL1101 a reality."