FRUSICA-2 Trial Meets Primary Endpoint for RCC in China with Sintilimab-Fruquintinib

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, and HUTCHMED (China) Limited (“HUTCHMED”) (Nasdaq/AIM:HCM; HKEX:13), today jointly announce that the FRUSICA-2 Phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating sintilimab in combination with fruquintinib as second-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in China has met its primary endpoint of progression free survival (PFS) per RECIST 1.1 as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR).

The combination of sintilimab and fruquintinib received conditional approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial cancer with Mismatch Repair proficient (pMMR) tumors that have failed prior systemic therapy and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation, based on data from the FRUSICA-1 study (NCT03903705).

The FRUSICA-2 study is a randomized, open-label, active-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sintilimab in combination with fruquintinib versus axitinib or everolimus monotherapy for the second-line treatment of advanced RCC (NCT05522231). In addition to the primary endpoint PFS, the combination also demonstrated improvements in secondary endpoints, including objective response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DoR). Full results will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming scientific conference.

Prof Dingwei Ye of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and the co-leading Principal Investigator of the FRUSICA-2 study, said: “The rapid advancements in targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and their combination regimens have led to a significant evolution in the treatment landscape for advanced renal cell carcinoma. Targeted therapy remains an indispensable and crucial component in systemic treatment of advanced RCC in China. Optimizing the selection of targeted therapy, either as monotherapy or in combination with immunotherapy, for individual patients is a key focus of clinical interest. The results from the FRUSICA 2 study underscore the potential of the sintilimab and fruquintinib combination to address the pressing medical needs of patients with this challenging disease.”

Prof Zhisong He of Peking University First Hospital and the co-leading Principal Investigator of the FRUSICA-2 study, said: “The positive results from this Phase 3 study of the sintilimab and fruquintinib combination represent a significant advancement in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. We are optimistic about the clinical implications of the findings as we strive to provide more effective treatment options for patients who may not have had adequate responses to previous therapies.”

Dr Hui Zhou, Senior Vice President of Innovent, stated: “We are encouraged by the positive results in the FRUSICA-2 clinical trial. These outcomes not only underscore the great potential of the combination therapy of sintilimab and fruquintinib but also bring new hope to previously treated patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. We look forward to working closely with HUTCHMED to jointly advance the registrational communication of this innovative combo therapy and make it available to patients as soon as possible.”

Dr Michael Shi, Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer of HUTCHMED, stated: “The encouraging results from our study provide clear evidence for the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab as a viable new treatment option for advanced renal cell carcinoma patients who have progressed on previous therapy. This not only reaffirms our commitment to advancing cancer therapies but also represents an important step forward in addressing unmet medical needs within this patient population. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the patients and investigators who participated in this research; their contributions have been vital to our success. We look forward to sharing detailed findings with regulatory authorities and progressing toward NDA filings in the coming months.”

About Kidney Cancer and RCC

It is estimated that approximately 435,000 new patients were diagnosed with kidney cancer worldwide in 2022.ⅰ In China, an estimated 74,000 new patients were diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2022.ⅱ Approximately 90% of kidney tumors are RCC.

About Sintilimab

Sintilimab, marketed as TYVYT® (sintilimab injection) in China, is a PD-1 immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody co-developed by Innovent and Eli Lilly and Company. Sintilimab is a type of immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody, which binds to PD-1 molecules on the surface of T-cells, blocks the PD-1 / PD-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway, and reactivates T-cells to kill cancer cells.ⅲ

In China, sintilimab has been approved and included in the updated NRDL for seven indications. The updated NRDL reimbursement scope for TYVYT® (sintilimab injection) includes:

For the treatment of relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin’s lymphoma after two lines or later of systemic chemotherapy;
For the first-line treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer lacking EGFR or ALK driver gene mutations;
For the treatment of patients with EGFR-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer who progressed after EGFR-TKI therapy;
For the first-line treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer;
For the first-line treatment of unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma with no prior systematic treatment;
For the first-line treatment of unresectable locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma;
For the first-line treatment of unresectable locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.
Furthermore, sintilimab’s eighth indication, in combination with fruquintinib for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial cancer with pMMR tumors that have failed prior systemic therapy and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation, was conditional approved by the NMPA in December 2024. And the NDA for sintilimab in combination with ipilimumab as neoadjuvant treatment for resectable MSI-H/dMMR colon cancer is under the NMPA review and has been granted Priority Review designation.

In addition, three clinical studies of sintilimab have met their primary endpoints:

Phase 2 study of sintilimab monotherapy as second-line treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma;
Phase 3 study of sintilimab monotherapy as second-line treatment for squamous non-small cell lung cancer with disease progression following platinum-based chemotherapy;
Phase 2/3 study of sintilimab in combination with fruquintinib versus axitinib or everolimus monotherapy for the second-line treatment of advanced RCC.
About Fruquintinib

Fruquintinib is a selective oral inhibitor of all three vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors (VEGFR-1, -2 and -3). VEGFR inhibitors play a pivotal role in inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. Fruquintinib was designed to have enhanced selectivity that limits off-target kinase activity, allowing for drug exposure that achieves sustained target inhibition and flexibility for potential use as part of a combination therapy.ⅳ

About Fruquintinib Approvals

Fruquintinib is co-developed and co-marketed in China by HUTCHMED and Eli Lilly and Company under the brand name ELUNATE®. It is approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have previously received fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, and those who have previously received or are not suitable for receiving anti-VEGF therapy or anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy (RAS wild-type) in China. It was included in the China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) in January 2020. Since its launch in China, over 100,000 patients with colorectal cancer have been treated with fruquintinib.

The combination of ELUNATE® (fruquintinib) and TYVYT® (sintilimab injection) has conditional approval in China for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial cancer with Mismatch Repair proficient (pMMR) tumors that have failed prior systemic therapy and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation.

Takeda holds the exclusive worldwide license to further develop, commercialize, and manufacture fruquintinib outside mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, marketing it under the brand name FRUZAQLA®. Fruquintinib received approval for the treatment of previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer in the US in November 2023, in the EU in June 2024, in Switzerland and Argentina in August 2024, in Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom in September 2024, in Australia and Singapore in October 2024 and in Israel and the United Arab Emirates in December 2024. Regulatory applications are progressing in many other jurisdictions.

The global regulatory submissions are based on data from two large, randomized, controlled Phase III trials in colorectal cancer, the global, multi-regional FRESCO-2 trial and the FRESCO trial conducted in China, showing consistent benefit among a total of 734 metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with fruquintinib. Safety profiles were consistent across trials. Results from the FRESCO-2 trial were published in The Lancet in June 2023,ⅴ while results from the FRESCO trial were published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA.

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