InnoCare Pharma a leading biopharmaceutical company focusing on the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, announced today that the first patient has been dosed in the registrational trial of B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) inhibitor mesutoclax (ICP-248) for patients with BTK inhibitor treated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in China.

Mesutoclax is a novel, orally bioavailable BCL2 selective inhibitor. BCL2 is an important regulatory protein in the apoptosis pathway, and its abnormal expression is associated with the development of various hematologic malignancies. Mesutoclax exerts anti-tumor activity by selectively inhibiting BCL2 and restoring the normal apoptosis process in cancer cells. This unique mechanism of action endows it with tremendous potential in treating multiple diseases including MCL, chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). InnoCare is advancing clinical trials for four indications - MCL, CLL/SLL, AML and MDS - both in China and globally.

This registrational trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of mesutoclax in treating BTKi-treated MCL patients. MCL is an aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma with limited therapy options.

Dr. Jasmine Cui, the co-founder, chairwoman and CEO of InnoCare, said, “As a key global asset for InnoCare in the field of hematology, mesutoclax is expected to bring new treatment hope to lymphoma patients. We will continue to accelerate its clinical development of mesutoclax to provide more effective treatment options for patients in China and around the world.”