Etana to launch Innovent Biologics’ cancer drug BYVASDA in Indonesia

Etana now has the right to sell BYVASDA in the country and in return, Innovent Biologics will receive milestones for the development and commercialisation along with double-digit royalties on net sales. Innovent’s BYVASDA is also a recombinant anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibody drug for humans. VEGF is a key factor in angiogenesis that is expressed highly by endothelial cells in most human tumours.

An anti-VEGF antibody selectively binds VEGF with high affinity and blocks its binding with VEGF receptors on the vascular endothelial cells surface, limiting signalling pathways such as PI3K-Akt/PKB and Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK.

BYVASDA inhibits the growth, proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells to produce anti-tumour effects.

It also blocks angiogenesis, reduces vascular permeability, blocks blood supply to tumour tissues, prevents proliferation and metastasis of tumour cells and induces apoptosis in those cells.

It is further claimed that bevacizumab has been approved for treating patients with multiple malignant tumours.

They include non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, glioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, and epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

Innovent Biologics business development vice-president Blake Salisbury said: “We are excited to establish a strategic collaboration with Etana. Following BYVASDA (Bevacizumab Biosimilar)’s breaking into the North America market in 2020, this collaboration will enable BYVASDA to penetrate into a Southeast Asian market quickly and marked another solid step toward getting Innovent’s innovative portfolio into the global market.

“We are confident that pairing Etana’s commercial expertise in the local Indonesian market with BYVASDA’s clinical profile will further accelerate our mission, benefitting patients globally.”

The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions. The two companies did not disclose any further financial terms related to the agreement.

Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia co-founder and CEO Nathan Tirtana said: “We are excited to enter into the collaboration with Innovent, a premier biopharmaceutical company which has a fully-integrated multi-functional platform.

“We have been impressed with Innovent’s achievements in its innovation and globalization strategies. Through this collaboration, we hope to make BYVASDA accessible to patients in Indonesia.”

Last January, Innovent signed an out-license agreement with Coherus BioSciences to launch BYVASDA in the US and Canada. In the same year, in June, China NMPA had approved the drug.