Eyes on Asia: GSK’s $300m lupus bet, Pfizer’s $1bn China blast

GSK pays $300 million for T cell-engager 

 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has bought global rights to a novel dual CD19-CD20-targeted T cell-engager (TCE) from Chimagen, a Shanghai-based biotech, for lupus and other autoimmune indications.  

The candidate is expected to cause deep B cell depletion.  

Outlicensings continue to be a good source of capital for Chinese biopharmas. Chimagenwill bank $300 million upfront, and it will be eligible for another $550 million in milestones. The company also continues to own CMG1A46 rights for oncology indications.  

Chimagen is conducting Phase I trials of CMG1A46 for leukemia and lymphoma in the US and China. However, GSK will start tests of the candidate in 2025 for lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN).  

GSK is not an outlier in its switch from oncology indications to autoimmune diseases. It has become a trend. Xencor’s bispecific antibody, plamotamab, which has started trials for hematologic cancers, will begin clinical development for multidrug-resistant rheumatoid arthritis in Q4 of 2024.  And Candid will file in early 2025 to begin US trials of two B cell targeting candidates that previously started oncology trials. 

CMG1A46 is a dual CD19 and CD20-targeted T cell-engager (TCE). Chimagen described it as an IgG-like molecule with high affinity for CD19 and CD20 positive B cells.  

CD19 and CD20 are expressed on B cells, which Chimagen believes will make CMG1A46 an effective targeted therapy for all B cell conditions, including autoimmune diseases. CMG1A46 also has low affinity for CD3, a feature that is expected to lower toxicities including cytokine release syndrome (CRS).  

Pfizer to sink $1bn in China 

Pfizer plans to up its capabilities in China with new drugs, more attention to healthcare in rural China, and clinical collaborations with biopharmas.  

Altogether, the company expects to invest $1 billion over five years in an initiative called the “Pfizer China 2030 Strategy.”  

The initiative was announced by Jean-Christophe Pointeau, president of Pfizer China, at the recent 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. Pointeau was interviewed by Xu Libo of the China Business Network at the event. 

In terms of new drugs, Pfizer will introduce 24 innovative therapies in China over the five years. The near-term batch consists of four candidates. 

Between 2025 and 2030, Pfizer will use the $1 billion to obtain the following objectives: 

Pfizer is serious about the last entry – promoting local biotechs. Pointeau said, "We work with local biopharmaceutical companies to conduct Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical trials, [where we] can not only accelerate development, but also bring them to the United States, Europe, Japan and all over the world. I think this is what Pfizer can promise." 

Pfizer’s Beijing R&D center adds to the company’s existing Chinese R&D facilities in Shanghai and Wuhan.  

Leads Biolabs lands $35m for tri-specific 

Aditum and Leads have teamed to establish a company named Oblenio Bio. Aditum will provide funding to begin clinical studies of Leads’ antibody candidate, LBL-051. 

LBL-051 is a first-in-class CD19xBCMAxCD3 tri-specific T-cell engager antibody aimed at autoimmune diseases. Oblenio will own exclusive global rights to LBL-051 worldwide.  In addition to the $35 million upfront payment, Leads is eligible to receive up to $579 million in milestones, plus royalties on sales. Leads, a Chinese biotech that developed the candidate, is also entitled to receive an equity stake in Oblenio Bio. 

Aditum and Leads noted that CD19 and BCMA targeted therapies have shown efficacy in difficult-to-treat autoimmune diseases. The partners believe that LBL-051, with its dual-targeting of CD19 and BCMA, will show better efficacy than current drugs in development. 

Aditum is an Oakland, California venture capital firm that forms a new company around each asset it acquires. Since 2019, Aditum has started 13 companies (including Oblenio). 

The company uses an incubator model, focusing on the translational phase of drug development.  

Hanmi’s obesity candidate lowers fat, raises muscle mass 

Korea’s Hanmi Pharm reported its obesity drug increases lean muscle mass, touting it as  “a potential game-changer”. 

The company said the current crop of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) based therapies often lead to muscle loss. 

"HM17321 is the novel concept of obesity drug developed combining advanced artificial intelligence and structural modeling technology with Hanmi's innovative R&D expertise," said In Young Choi, head of Hanmi's R&D Center.  

Current GLP-1-based obesity medications offer 15-20% weight loss, the company said, but up to 40% of this loss can come from muscle. This reduces basal metabolic rate and increases the risk of regaining weight after discontinuing the drug. 

As a peptide-based therapy, HM17321 offers a cost-effective alternative to antibody-based muscle-preserving drugs, such as myostatin-targeting monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). It is also compatible with incretin-based obesity treatments. 

HM17321 targets the Corticotropin-Releasing Factor 2 receptor (CRF2), a unique mechanism that differentiates the molecule from existing therapies. 

Hanmi disclosed the HM17321 data from two preclinical studies at the recent 2024 ObesityWeek conference in San Antonio, Texas.  

Hanmi is also developing another weight loss candidate, a long acting trispecific GLP-1/GIP/GCG candidate that could offer a 25% loss in weight with low muscle loss. HM15275 causes positive metabolic phenotype to change and enhances energy metabolism along with dietary control. The mechanism is different than current incretin-based obesity drugs, which rely mainly on appetite suppression. 

HM15275 is currently in US Phase I clinical trials.