Hengrui, Shanghai ChemPartner enter strategic development partnership for monoclonal antibodies

Sep 15 2011

ShangPharma Corporation (NYSE: SHP) ("ShangPharma" or the "Company"), a leading China-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development outsourcing company, and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd. ("Hengrui"), a leading Chinese pharmaceutical company, today announced that Shanghai ChemPartner ("ChemPartner"), a wholly owned subsidiary of ShangPharma, and Hengrui have entered into a strategic partnership for the development of novel therapeutic monoclonal antibodies ("mAbs").

Through the partnership, ChemPartner and Hengrui will initially collaborate on the development of novel therapeutic mAbs in a major therapeutic area. ChemPartner will head pre-clinical research activities, including target protein preparation and assay system establishment, generation and optimization of lead antibodies, as well as pharmacokinetic and preformulation studies, while Hengrui will lead drug development for the mAb. Following the project's completion, Hengrui will retain the intellectual property rights of the mAb and any patents related to the mAb's development. The first program will have several preclinical and development milestone payments, as well as a timeline-based incentive payment.

Mr. Michael Xin Hui, chairman and chief executive officer of ShangPharma, commented, "Hengrui is the first major domestic pharmaceutical company to form such an antibody partnership with ChemPartner, and the program is the first of its kind in China. The indication and market potential for the first mAb is very broad. We are proud to be working with Hengrui, one of the major domestic pharmaceutical companies. We expect our collaborative work will lead to further domestic and multinational partnerships in biologics development, and pave the way for innovation and growth in China's own biotechnology industry."

Dr. Lianshan Zhang, Hengrui's President of Global R&D, added, "Hengrui, as a domestic leader in innovative medicines, recognizes the importance of external discovery capability, especially in the area of biotherapeutics. We are pleased to be working with one of the leading CRO companies in China. Hengrui has chosen to partner with ShangPharma and its ChemPartner subsidiary for their exceptional capabilities and platform in biologics R&D, and we will work together toward a successful partnership."