- Marketed in China for breast cancer and in progress with lung cancer global Phase 3 clinical trial

- Strengthening HLB-LS’s status as an anti-cancer drug development company by expanding pipelines following rivoceranib

HLB Life Science (“HLB-LS”, CEO Yang-gon Jin and Sang-woo Nam) into an exclusive licensing agreement with Chinese Pharmaceutical company, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd (“Hengrui”) for Korean rights of its targeted anti-cancer drug pyrotinib.  Through this licensing agreement of pyrotinib with demonstrated efficacy in Chinese patients, HLB-LS is anticipated to strengthen its position as a developer of innovative anti-cancer drug, given the fact that it also holds domestic rights for another targeted anti-cancer drug, rivoceranib.

This license agreement summarizes HLB-LS's exclusive rights to clinical development and sales of pyrotinib as a breast and lung cancer treatment in Korea.

Pyrotinib developed by Hengrui is an orally available, low molecular weight anti-cancer compound targeting HER2. Due to its superior anti-cancer effect, it is considered as a new drug with the potential to expand into various cancer treatments in the global anti-cancer drug market.  In China, pyrotinib received a conditional approval in 2018 as a second line treatment for HER2(+) metastatic breast cancer followed by a formal approval this year, and has quickly became dominant breast cancer treatment drug with overwhelming sales compared to the existing treatment, lapatinib.

Currently, Hengrui, Asia's No. 1 anti-cancer therapeutics company, has three pillars of anti-cancer franchise growth: rivoceranib (Chinese name apatinib), camrelizumab (immune checkpoint inhibitor) and pyrotinib.   Considering rights for rivoceranib are held by Hengrui, HLB-LS and HLB for China, Korea and the rest of the world, respectively, this license agreement providing pyrotinib Korean rights to HLB-LS is expected to enhance collaboration between Hengrui and HLB Group at large.

Recently, HLB Life Science secured production expertise for several new drugs including rivoceranib and Elevar products that HLB is planning to market by acquiring Mediforum Pharmaceuticals, Co Ltd.  Furthermore, HLB has also established domestic sales and marketing organizations and thereby collectively laying a foundation for the growth as a global pharmaceutical company.

Yong-Hae Han, president of HLB-LS’s Bio Business Division, said, "We have prepared a long-term growth platform for the company through the acquisition of Korean rights of pyrotinib following rivoceranib. Leveraging its potential as a targeted anti-cancer drug and starting from breast cancer to wide variety of oncology indications, we will expeditiously conduct pyrotinib bridging trials in Korea to duplicate pyrotinib’s market success in China."