Numab Therapeutics AG (Numab) and 3SBio Inc. (“3SBio”, HKEX:1530) announced today that 3SBio’s subsidiary Sunshine Guojian Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (“Sunshine Guojian”) exercised its option for an exclusive regional license for the development and commercialization of NM28, a potential best-in-class bivalent mesothelin (MSLN)-targeting CD3 T cell engager.

Under the terms of this collaboration, which builds on the existing relationship between the two parties established in 2019, Sunshine Guojian will have exclusive rights to develop and commercialize NM28 in the Greater China area, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Numab retains NM28 rights for the rest of the world.

“We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with Sunshine Guojian, which illustrates our global development strategy to form regional partnerships in Asia for our proprietary assets,” said David Urech, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Numab Therapeutics. “NM28 is a next generation T cell engager for the therapy of mesothelin-expressing tumors based on our MATCH^TM-4 platform that allows for bivalent interaction with mesothelin and therefore holds the potential for a larger therapeutic window over conventional T cell engagers.”

“Collaborating with the world's leading technology platforms and biotech companies to develop high-quality drug candidates is a central pillar of our growth strategy. We are looking forward to working with Numab on this very exciting cancer therapy targeting difficult to treat tumors. This alliance is in line with our goal to expand our pipeline with a diverse set of first-in-class multispecific antibodies,” said Dr. Jing Lou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 3SBio.

About NM28

NM28 consists of four stabilized and humanized antibody variable domain fragments directed against MSLN, CD3 and human serum albumin (HSA). MSLN is commonly expressed in a variety of tumor cells, including mesothelioma, lung, biliary, ovarian, breast and pancreatic cancer. NM28 is designed to be resistant to the scavenging effect of soluble MSLN shed from tumor cells to improve efficacy, and to discriminate between tumor cells and MSLN-expressing normal cells to improve safety when compared to monovalent T cell engaging approaches targeting MSLN.

About Numab Therapeutics

Numab Therapeutics is an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company based in Zurich-area, Switzerland. At Numab, we are writing the next chapter in cancer immunotherapy by creating multi-specific antibodies that enable the pursuit of novel therapeutic strategies. With our proprietary MATCH technology platform, we are fueling a new wave of multi-specific drug candidates engineered with versatility and developability in mind. Our lead product was designed to balance potent anti-tumor immunity with a desirable safety profile by targeting 4-1BB, PD-L1 and Serum Albumin simultaneously. We believe meeting the highest quality standards in every step of the drug design process matters and will result in better patient outcomes. For further information, visit www.numab.com.

About 3SBio Inc.

3SBio is a fully integrated biotechnology company in China with market-leading biopharmaceutical franchises in oncology, auto-immune diseases, nephrology, metabolic diseases and dermatology. 3SBio is focusing on building an innovative product pipeline, currently with over 30 product candidates under development. 3SBio’s manufacturing capabilities include recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies and chemically synthesized molecules, with production centers in Shenyang, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Cuomo, Italy. Please visit www.3sbio.com for additional information.

About Sunshine Guojian

Sunshine Guojian was established in 2002 and is one of the first batch of innovative biopharmaceutical companies focusing on antibody drugs in China. It is a domestic pharmaceutical company that has three launched therapeutic antibody drugs and had emerged as a leader in antibody drug with its capabilities of independent R&D, manufacturing and commercialization in China. Sunshine Guojian orients its R&D efforts primarily towards innovative therapeutic antibody drugs, and provides high-quality, safe and effective clinical solutions to the therapeutic areas of major diseases such as auto-immune diseases and cancers. Currently, Sunshine Guojian has 20 antibody drug candidates which are under different development stages (including 12 drug candidates in clinical and post-clinical stage and 8 drug candidates in pre-clinical stage), targeting tumor, autoimmune diseases and ophthalmological diseases. Most of those drug candidates are Category I biological products for therapeutic use or monoclonal antibodies. Some of those drug candidates may have their applications be submitted to both the NMPA and the U.S. FDA, while some may be admitted for priority review. Please visit www.3s-guojian.com for additional information.

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