CMAB to provide development service for ‘first in class’ Chinese-developed biologic

Chinese contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), CMAB Biopharma will aid Fapon Biopharma in progressing its unspecified oncology drug candidate through to investigational new drug (NDA) applications to the US and China regulators.

Fapon is a supplier of raw materials and solutions for in vitro ​diagnostic reagents, but has also cultivated a drug pipeline through an R&D center based in Shanghai – the result of a ¥100m ($14m) investment.

Very few details on the drug candidate are provided by the announcement​ or through Fapon’s website; however, the company states that it has monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins and cell therapy products in its pipeline.

In addition, the product is a potential ‘first in class’ treatment and has shown “significant promise”​ in the treatment of lung, stomach and colorectal cancers.

For CMAB, it represents the second clinical development deal it has signed in recent months for an oncology candidate.

The CDMO previously announced that it would work with Kintor Pharmaceuticals​ to develop an antibody that had previously been developed by Pfizer, with the drug candidate now in Phase II clinical trials.