Our Strategic Partnership with Akeso with an Aligned Mission1,2,3
Akeso: Leading innovative biopharmaceutical company in China
Summit Therapeutics, Inc. has a definitive partnership with Akeso Inc. (HKEX Code: 9926.HK, “Akeso”), to in-license its breakthrough bispecific antibody, ivonescimab. Akeso is a pioneer and source originator in developing innovative antibodies. The agreement supports Summit’s mission of developing and commercializing groundbreaking oncology pipeline products aimed at improving the quality of life of patients with serious unmet medical needs.
Ivonescimab, known as SMT112 in Summit’s license territories, the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America, including Mexico and all countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa, and as AK112 in China and Australia, is a novel, potential first-in-class investigational bispecific antibody combining the effects of immunotherapy via a blockade of PD-1 with the anti-angiogenesis effects associated with blocking VEGF into a single molecule. Ivonescimab is the most advanced PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody in clinical development in the Summit License Territories. There are no known PD-1-based bispecific antibodies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”). A New Drug Application (“NDA”) of ivonescimab has been accepted by the Center for Drug Evaluation of the National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA CDE”) of China in August 2023, and it was approved in May 2024.
Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy that is not approved by any regulatory authority other than China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).
Akeso’s Focus on Innovation
Akeso has one of the richest and most diversified antibody drug pipelines in China:
- First PD-1 bispecific in the world approved for commercialization
- 4 commercially approved drugs in China
- 30+ drug development programs
- 19 clinical-stage pipeline
- 6+ bispecific antibodies
- 120+ worldwide clinical trials (including Investigator Initiated Trials)
Michelle Xia, Ph.D.
- Co-Founder, Chairwoman, President, and CEO Akeso, Inc.
- Summit Therapeutics Board of Directors
Akeso: Company Overview
- 2,800+ employees
- Complete in-house functions – from discovery and target validation to clinical development and sales
- 54,000L production capacity – more than 106,000L of additional manufacturing capacity under construction
References
- Akeso Press Release (2022-12-06)
- Akeso website accessed on 8.21.23
- Akeso Interim Report (2023-08)