Innovent Announces NMPA Approves BYVASDA for Adult Recurrent Glioblastoma

Innovent Biologics has announced BYVASDA® (bevacizumab biosimilar), a recombinant humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody drug independently developed by Innovent, has been officially approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for the treatment of adult recurrent glioblastoma (GBM, the most common malignant primary brain tumor), which is the third approved indication of BYVASDA® in China.

BYVASDA® was first approved by China NMPA on June 17, 2020. Previous approved indications of BYVASDA® include advanced non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic colorectal cancer.

According to the report of Cancer Today from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Cancer Research, there were 4.285 million newly diagnosed cancer patients and 2.865 million deaths from cancer in China in 2018. Among the malignant tumors, glioblastoma is the most frequent and aggressive type of primary malignant brain tumor in adults, characterized by high morbidity, high recurrence rate, high mortality rate and low cure rate. Current major treatment regimens for glioblastoma include surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The median survival time is 12 to 15 months which have no significant change over the past decade.

Since the launch of bevacizumab, it has been approved for the treatment of patients with multiple malignant tumors globally, including non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, glioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, and epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer, and in China it was approved for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer and adult recurrent glioblastoma. The efficacy and safety of bevacizumab have been well recognized worldwide. However, there still remains huge unmet clinical demand for bevacizumab treatment in China, as many ordinary Chinese patients cannot afford for original drugs. BYVASDA® is an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) humanized monoclonal antibody and a bevacizumab biosimilar independently developed by Innovent. The launch of BYVASDA® has provided Chinese patients with high quality and relatively more affordable bevacizumab biosimilar injection.

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor, representing approximately 57% of all gliomas and 48% of all primary malignant central nervous system (CNS) tumors, with an incidence of 3.2 per 100,000 populations. The current standard treatment regimen for primary glioblastoma includes a combination of surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Due to the aggressive nature, almost all glioblastomas recur after initial therapy. In 2009, Bevacizumab was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for recurrent glioblastoma.

BYVASDA® is a bevacizumab biosimilar and a recombinant humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody drug. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important factor in angiogenesis that is highly expressed by the endothelial cells in most human tumors. An anti-VEGF antibody binds VEGF selectively with high affinity and blocks its binding to VEGF receptors on the surface of vascular endothelial cells, thereby inhibiting signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt/PKB and Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK. BYVASDA® produces anti-tumor effects by inhibiting the growth, proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells, blocking angiogenesis, reducing vascular permeability, blocking blood supply to tumor tissues, inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells and inducing apoptosis in tumor cells. Since the launch of bevacizumab, it has been approved for the treatment of patients with multiple malignant tumors globally, including non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, glioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, and epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. The efficacy and safety of bevacizumab have been well recognized worldwide.