IASO Bio Teams Up With Innovent For Cutting-Edge Cell Therapy Advancements

IASO Biotechnology ("IASO Bio"), a leading biopharmaceutical company specializing in innovative cell therapies and antibody products, has announced a collaborative agreement with Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent", HKEX: 01801), a premier biopharmaceutical firm known for its high-quality treatments for cancer, metabolic, autoimmune, ophthalmology, and other major diseases. The agreement entails IASO Bio purchasing certain rights related to FUCASO® (Equecabtagene Autoleucel) from Innovent and acquiring a license for the associated intellectual property. Additionally, Innovent will make an equity investment in IASO Bio as part of this collaboration.

As per the agreement, IASO Bio will acquire Innovent's rights to FUCASO® under the original "BCMA CAR-T Cell Therapy Cooperation Agreement" for a specified price. Innovent will then use the proceeds to purchase an 18% equity stake in IASO Bio. Within this new strategic cooperation framework, both companies will integrate their efforts in the field of cellular immunotherapy. IASO Bio will gain global commercial rights and the intellectual property license for FUCASO®, taking full responsibility for the product's development, manufacturing, and commercialization. Innovent, in turn, will become a strategic shareholder in IASO Bio.

FUCASO®, a product jointly developed by IASO Bio and Innovent, received approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on June 30, 2023, for treating relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients who have undergone at least three prior treatments and have progressed. It is the first fully human CAR-T product globally and the first BCMA CAR-T product approved in China. On March 28, 2024, FUCASO® obtained investigational new drug (IND) approval for treating RRMM patients who have undergone 1-2 prior therapies and are refractory to lenalidomide. In 2024, its IND application for treating autoimmune diseases such as refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) was approved in both China and the United States.