Partnerships
Partnering With Ascentage
Empowered by our technical expertise in structure-based drug design and our innovative drug discovery engine, we are developing an innovative pipeline featuring small molecule candidates that target apoptotic pathways, as well as next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors with first- and best-in-class potential. We welcome partnerships with other complementary organizations that share our vision of bringing meaningful treatments to patients.
Our Current Partnerships
In addition to our strong in-house research and development team, we have established global collaboration relationships with leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions, such as the University of Michigan, Unity, MSD, MD Anderson and AstraZeneca.
Built upon a long-term academic relationship, we have established research collaborations and exclusive license agreements with the University of Michigan. Pursuant to the license agreement, the University of Michigan granted us an exclusive worldwide license to certain patent rights related to PPIs and apoptosis. Our academic collaboration with the University of Michigan enables us to tackle challenging therapeutic targets, gain access to the latest technologies, and enhance our preclinical and clinical studies capabilities, which allow us to accelerate our research and development progress substantially.
We have a strategic relationship with Unity pursuant to which Unity is exploring the development of molecules in our library of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitors for the treatment of age-related diseases. Through our license agreement with Unity, we are able to validate our patent portfolio, enhance our research capabilities and expand into additional therapeutic areas.
In July 2020, we announced a clinical collaboration with MSD to evaluate the combination of APG-115, Ascentage’s MDM2-p53 inhibitor, and KEYTRUDA®(pembrolizumab), MSD’s anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors.
In October 2018, we entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with MD Anderson. Under the terms of the agreement, MD Anderson will conduct preclinical and clinical studies on APG-1252, APG-2575, APG-1387, APG-115, HQP1351, and other compounds under development by us.
In July 2021, we and Innovent Biologics , announced a multifaceted strategic collaboration.
This collaboration includes the joint clinical development and commercialization of HQP1351(olverembatinib), a third-generation BCR-ABL inhibitor and a core drug candidate of Ascentage Pharma, in China; the collaborative clinical development of Ascentage Pharma’s Bcl-2 inhibitor APG-2575(lisaftoclax) in combination with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody HALPRYZA® (rituximab biosimilar injection) co-developed by Innovent and Eli Lilly and Company, and Innovent’s anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody letaplimab(IBI188). Furthermore, Innovent will subscribe to Ascentage Pharma’s common shares for a total consideration of US$50 million at HK$44.0 per share, and be granted stock warrants that will allow it to acquire additional Ascentage Pharma’s common shares for a total consideration of US$50 million at a subscription price of HK$57.2 per share.
This collaboration includes the joint clinical development and commercialization of HQP1351(olverembatinib), a third-generation BCR-ABL inhibitor and a core drug candidate of Ascentage Pharma, in China; the collaborative clinical development of Ascentage Pharma’s Bcl-2 inhibitor APG-2575(lisaftoclax) in combination with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody HALPRYZA® (rituximab biosimilar injection) co-developed by Innovent and Eli Lilly and Company, and Innovent’s anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody letaplimab(IBI188). Furthermore, Innovent will subscribe to Ascentage Pharma’s common shares for a total consideration of US$50 million at HK$44.0 per share, and be granted stock warrants that will allow it to acquire additional Ascentage Pharma’s common shares for a total consideration of US$50 million at a subscription price of HK$57.2 per share.
In November 8, 2021，we announced a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Pfizer Inc. to study the combination of Ascentage Pharma’s lisaftoclax (APG-2575), a Bcl-2 selective inhibitor, in combination with Pfizer’s IBRANCE® (palbociclib), a CDK4/6 inhibitor, in patients with recurrent, locally advanced or metastatic estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer.
In October 2023, we announced that a clinical collaboration with AstraZeneca Investment (China) Co., Ltd. (or “AstraZeneca”). The two companies will jointly conduct a registrational Phase III study of the Bcl-2 inhibitor, APG-2575 (lisaftoclax), in combination with AstraZeneca’s Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, CALQUENCE® (acalabrutinib), in treatment-naive patients with first-line chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL).
In July 2021, we engaged in developing novel therapies for cancers, chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and age-related diseases, today announced that the company has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of National Institutes of Health, under which they will collaborate on the non-clinical and clinical development of Ascentage Pharma’s drug compound pelcitoclax.
In July 2020, we announced a clinical collaboration with MSD to evaluate the combination of APG-115, Ascentage’s MDM2-p53 inhibitor, and KEYTRUDA®(pembrolizumab), MSD’s anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors.