Serplulimab

In the two weeks before and after Independence Day in the U.S., AstraZeneca signed potential billion-dollar licensing deals with CSPC Pharmaceutical and Sino Biopharmaceutical, Hengrui Pharma's Kaleira Therapeutics-partnered oral GLP-1 candidate reported obesity and diabetes phase 3 data from China, and biotech insiders decried certain U.S. lawmakers' scrutiny over Chinese clinical trials as a distraction. And more. 1. AstraZeneca pens $2.1B Sino deal for challenger to Merck’s COPD drug Ohtuvayre AstraZeneca pens $1.7B kidney drug discovery pact with go-to Chinese partner CSPC AstraZeneca has continued to strike deals with Chinese partners. The British pharma is paying CSPC Pharmaceutical $30 million upfront, with $1.74 billion in potential development and sales milestones, to jointly discover and develop two kidney disease candidates based on the latter company's siRNA platform. Separately, AZ agreed to pay Sino Biopharmaceutical $200 million upfront and up to $1.9 million in milestones for ex-China rights to a PDE3/4 inhibitor as a potential challenger to Merck & Co.’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug Ohtuvayre. 2. Kailera’s oral GLP-1 asset sees 11% weight loss, hits goals in Chinese phase 3 obesity and diabetes trials Hengrui Pharma’s once-daily oral GLP-1 prospect, HRS-7535, led to a mean weight loss of up to 10.9% at week 44 in a China phase 3 obesity study after excluding premature treatment discontinuations and the use of other weight-loss drugs. The efficacy results are in the same ballpark as data on existing oral GLP-1 drugs by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. However, the rates of adverse events around nausea and vomiting were notably higher for the Kailera Therapeutics-partnered drug by cross-trial comparisons. 3. As US lawmakers increase scrutiny of Chinese trials, industry fears ‘huge distraction and expense’ Rep. John Moolenaar, R-MI., chair of the U.S. House Select Committee on China, recently sent letters to four large pharmas with allegations of human rights violations and military involvement in their clinical trials in China. A spokesperson from a biotech industry group said the political scrutiny creates shifting goal posts that are “wasting time and money.” 4. China approved the world’s first solid tumor CAR-T therapy. When will the US follow? The world’s first solid tumor CAR-T therapy, Claudin18.2-targeted satricabtagene autoleucel (satri-cel) from China’s CARsgen Therapeutics, is not coming to the U.S. anytime soon. After resolving a clinical hold installed by the FDA for manufacturing reasons, the company’s CEO said it will take time to re-establish its efforts with the agency. 5. Fosun Pharma plots global push beyond oncology, fueled by multi-asset Alzheimer’s strategy Fosun Pharma co-president and CEO of innovative medicines division, Xingli Wang, M.D., Ph.D., explained to Fierce Pharma how the company’s recent acquisition of Green Valley Pharmaceuticals and a licensing deal with AriBio could quickly build up its portfolio in Alzheimer’s disease. While PD-1 inhibitor serplulimab is on the cusp of an FDA filing to become Fosun’s first innovative medicine in the U.S., the company is looking to neuroscience to diversify. 6. Insilico keeps partnership sprint apace in $600M biobucks collab with Takeda Takeda is the latest company to partner with Insilico Medicine. The Japanese pharma is offering $60 million upfront to tap into the artificial intelligence specialist’s Pharma.AI platform to discover new drug candidates in Takeda’s therapeutic areas of interest. The deal could be worth $600 million eventually. 7. Genentech lays off 103 alongside gRED rethink, pens $490M breast cancer collab Roche’s Genentech agreed to pay $25 million to Otsuka subsidiary Astex Pharmaceuticals to get an exclusive license to compounds from the U.K. firm’s existing early-stage program for breast cancer. The two will work together on lead optimization to finalize the preclinical candidates. Astex is in line to receive up to $490 million in milestones. 8. Deerfield’s Boulevard Bio pens $1.6B deal for trispecific TCE from China’s Metis TechBio 9. FDA selects Lilly, Regeneron, Fujifilm, 4 others for PreCheck Pilot Program 10. Foreign drugmaker caught faking doctors’ petition to evade China’s price cut scheme 11. Whitehawk swoops in for five ADCs via development deal with China's Biocytogen 12. On heels of Bain buyout, Tanabe inks deal to sell manufacturing unit and 17 drugs to Towa 13. FDA slaps Dr. Reddy's Hyderabad biologics plant with seven observations in new Form 483 14. Fosun pays $32M to join Lilly and Novartis in fiercely competitive psoriasis market 15. Sino Biopharm, GSK expand China alliance to over 2 respiratory drugs (release, PDF) 16. Nobel-winning chemist leaves US to direct AI materials lab in China (Nature)

SHANGHAI, July 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd (Junshi Biosciences, HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180), a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, announced that the company has recently entered into a license agreement with Fosun Wanbang Pharma Group (“Fosun Wanbang,” a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fosun Pharma (HKEX: 02196; SSE: 600196). The two parties will cooperate on the development, registration, manufacturing and commercialization of roconkibart (JS005, anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibody) in the Greater China region, which includes the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan. Pursuant to the licensing agreement, Junshi Biosciences will grant Fosun Wanbang the right to develop, register, manufacture and commercialize roconkibart in the Greater China region. Junshi Biosciences will receive an upfront payment of RMB215 million, which shall be non-deductible and non-refundable, and will be eligible to receive milestone payments for product development and sales of up to RMB1.125 million, as well as double-digit tiered royalties based on net sales in the Greater China region. Roconkibart is a specific anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibody independently developed by Junshi Biosciences. IL (interleukin)-17A is a pleiotropic cytokine, and its disordered secretion is closely related to the occurrence and progression of autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. By binding to IL-17A homodimer and IL-17A/IL-17F heterodimer with high affinity and selectively blocking the binding of IL-17A with its receptor IL-17RA/IL-17RC, roconkibart blocks the activation of downstream signaling pathways and the release of inflammatory factors, thereby effectively alleviating the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. The Phase 3 clinical study of roconkibart for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PsO) in China has been completed, showing excellent efficacy and safety levels. In the 150 mg dosing group, the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index 90 (PASI 90) response rate at week 16 reached 91%; the PASI 100 response rate at week 52 reached 65%. In December 2025, the new drug application (NDA) for roconkibart in adult patients with moderate to severe PsO who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy was accepted by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Now, the study follow-up for all subjects under the phase 2 clinical study of roconkibart for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has completed. Dr. Jianjun ZOU, General Manager and CEO of Junshi Biosciences, said, “This strategic collaboration with Fosun Pharma signals a critical expansion of our autoimmune disease treatments. With years of extensive expertise in this domain, Fosun Pharma has established a professional commercialization team and a mature, efficient marketing system, which will inject momentum into roconkibart’s rapid advancement. This not only validates our company's innovative capabilities in the autoimmune sector, but also marks a milestone leap for both parties in meeting patient expectations through robust innovation. We anticipate that this in-depth synergy will accelerate the clinical development and commercialization of roconkibart in the Greater China region, bringing new hope to more patients in urgent need of effective treatments sooner and better.” Jing LI, Co-President of Fosun Pharma and Chairman of Fosun Wanbang, said: “Autoimmune diseases present massive unmet clinical needs and represent a core therapeutic focus for Fosun Pharma. This strategic partnership with Junshi Biosciences is a vital step in continuously enriching our portfolio of high-value pipelines in the immunology and inflammation fields. Roconkibart has delivered outstanding efficacy data in its Phase 3 clinical trials, demonstrating rapid and durable disease control in the treatment of psoriasis and other indications. Fosun Pharma has established a mature clinical development and commercialization framework in this therapeutic area. Moving forward, we will leverage our respective strengths to accelerate the development and commercialization of roconkibart in Greater China, ensuring this breakthrough innovative therapy benefits patients as early as possible.” About Junshi Biosciences Founded in December 2012, Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180) is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics. With our outstanding capacity for innovative drug discovery, strong biotechnology R&D capability, and large-scale production capacity, we have successfully developed a drug candidate portfolio with global competitiveness and a well-structured research pipeline, which covers therapeutic areas including cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, and infectious diseases. Our innovative field spans cutting-edge therapeutic modalities, including mAbs, small-molecule drugs, ADCs, bsAb/msAb, fusion proteins, nucleic acid drugs and vaccines. Five of the company’s products have received marketing authorizations in China and international markets, one of which is toripalimab, China’s domestically developed anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody. Toripalimab has been approved in over 40 countries and regions including China, the US, and Europe. With a mission of “providing patients with world-class, trustworthy, affordable, and innovative drugs,” Junshi Biosciences is “In China, For Global.” At present, the company boasts nearly 3,000 employees mainly in the United States (Maryland) and China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, Guangzhou). For more information, please visit: Junshi Biosciences Contact Information IR Team: Junshi Biosciences info@junshipharma.com + 86 021-6105 8800 PR Team: Junshi Biosciences Zhi Li zhi_li@junshipharma.com + 86 021-6105 8800