Innovent Biologics, Inc.  a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high-quality medicines for the treatment of oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic, autoimmune, ophthalmology and other major diseases, announced that the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) for IBI363, a first-in-class PD-1/IL-2^α-bias bispecific antibody fusion protein, as monotherapy for the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic mucosal or acral melanoma who have not received prior systemic therapy.

Recently, Innovent initiated and dosed the first patient for IBI363 in its first pivotal study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IBI363 monotherapy versus pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) monotherapy in patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic mucosal or acral melanoma who have not received prior systemic therapy. Furthermore, IBI363 has received two fast track designations (FTD) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for the treatment of squamous non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma, respectively.

IBI363 has demonstrated outstanding efficacy signals in immunotherapy (IO)-naïve melanoma patients across two earlier clinical trials (Phase 1a/1b study NCT05460767 and Phase 2 study NCT06081920), which enrolled a total of 26 patients with advanced acral or mucosal melanoma:

• The overall objective response rate (ORR) was 61.5%, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 84.6%—significantly higher than current domestic immunotherapy standards.
• Prolonged follow-up revealed sustained tumor responses and long-term benefits, suggesting the potential superiority of IBI363 over existing standard therapies.

Dr. Hui Zhou, Senior Vice President of Innovent, said, "As Innovent's first-in-class next-generation IO therapy, IBI363 simultaneously and selectively inhibits the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and activates the IL-2 pathway. IBI363 has recently received multiple FTD and BTD designations, signifying regulatory recognition of its clinical value in addressing unmet medical needs. Non-cutaneous melanoma subtypes like mucosal melanoma—which are more prevalent in China—are particularly resistant to immunotherapy with limited clinical benefits^[i]. We aim to validate IBI363's potential in its first pivotal trial, through a head-to-head comparison with pembrolizumab, as a superior treatment option for melanoma patients over the current standard-of-care. We are also accelerating the global development of IBI363 across multiple tumor types, with the goal of extending the benefits of China's innovation to patients worldwide."

NMPA Breakthrough Therapy Designation is intended to facilitate and expedite the development and review of investigational drugs for serious diseases or conditions when preliminary clinical evidence indicates substantial improvement over current therapies. BTD qualifies a drug candidate for accelerated review by the CDE and provides the sponsor with timely advice and communication to expedite the approval process, helping to address the unmet clinical needs of patients more swiftly.