InnoCare Announces Approval of Clinical Trial of BCL2 Inhibitor ICP-248 for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in China

InnoCare Pharma (HKEX: 09969; SSE: 688428), a leading biopharmaceutical company focusing on the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, announced today the approval of the Investigational New Drug (IND) to conduct the clinical trial of B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) inhibitor ICP-248 in combination with azacitidine for acute myeloid leukemia (AML)  in China.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant hematological disease originating from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, accounting for about 80% of acute leukemia in adults. The risk of developing AML increases with age and is more common in middle-aged and elderly people. AML is also not uncommon in individuals under 18 years old, representing about 15-20% of pediatric leukemia and 80% of leukemia in neonates and infants[1].

BCL2 is an important regulatory protein of apoptosis pathway, and its abnormal expression is related to the development of various hematologic malignancies. ICP-248 is a novel, orally bioavailable BCL2-selective inhibitor. It has  anti-tumor effect by selectively inhibiting BCL2 and restoring the mechanism of programmed cell death.

Dr. Jasmine Cui, the co-founder, chairwoman and CEO of InnoCare, said, "With strong pipeline in hemato-oncology, InnoCare is dedicated to developing therapeutics with diverse mechanisms of action (MoA) to achieve comprehensive coverage of blood tumor indications. ICP-248 is an important global asset of our company in the field of hematology. We will accelerate clinical development and look forward to bringing greater benefits to patients with hematological malignancies early."

About InnoCare

InnoCare is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing first-in-class and/or best-in-class drugs for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases with unmet medical needs in China and worldwide. InnoCare has branches in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and United States.

Reference:

[1] Guiding Principles for Clinical Research and Development of New Drugs for Acute Myeloid Leukemia