Recently, Shenzhen Sungening Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Sungening Biotechnology") and Lizhu Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.'s wholly-owned subsidiary Lizhu Pharmaceutical Factory (hereinafter referred to as "Lizhu Pharmaceutical") jointly announced that they have reached a strategic cooperation on SG1001 and signed a Greater China equity transaction agreement.
According to the agreement, Lizhu Pharmaceutical will obtain the exclusive R&D, production and commercialization rights and interests of SG1001 in all developable dosage forms and indications for antifungal and other therapeutic fields in Greater China (Chinese Mainland, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan), and Sungening Biological will retain the rights and interests of SG1001 in R&D, production and commercialization outside the cooperation area.
SG1001 is a fungal DHODH inhibitor developed by Sungening Biotechnology with independent intellectual property rights and a completely new structure. It is an innovative drug in Class 1 of chemical drugs. This project won the third prize in the 14th China Shenzhen Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is an oxidoreductase that catalyzes the de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidine, converting dihydroorotate to orotate. It is a key enzyme in fungal pyrimidine biosynthesis. SG1001 tablets selectively inhibit fungal DHODH, thereby suppressing fungal pyrimidine biosynthesis, affecting cell wall formation, and inhibiting fungal growth. At present, the product has obtained domestic clinical trial approval and is intended for the treatment of invasive fungal diseases.
Mr. Tang Yangyang, Executive Director and President of Lizhu Pharmaceutical, said, "Lizhu continues to increase its research and development of innovative drugs, and its cooperation with Sungening Biotechnology can further deepen Lizhu's layout in the field of new drug research and development in the field of anti infection. We are optimistic about the future market potential of SG1001 and will accelerate the clinical development of this product, striving to achieve commercialization as soon as possible
Mr. Huang Shenghong, Chairman of Sungening Biotechnology, said, "We are pleased to have reached a cooperation agreement with Lizhu. We believe that under the leadership of Lizhu, the SG1001 project can accelerate clinical trials and commercialization, provide a new drug for fungal infection patients in China as soon as possible, bring new hope to the treatment and life health of patients, and will also accelerate the process of SG1001 going global“
Fungal infection, known as a hidden killer, is an important reason for the final death of cancer, AIDS, organ transplantation and other patients. Among them, invasive aspergillosis is a highly severe deep-seated fungal infection with a high mortality rate, often occurring in the lungs. Every year, over 2 million people worldwide develop invasive aspergillosis in the context of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, severe infections, lung cancer, or hematological malignancies, with an annual crude mortality rate of 85.2%. The current first-line treatment usually has limited efficacy and serious adverse reactions, and is increasingly prone to developing drug resistance. Long term agranulocytosis, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, blood malignancies, solid organ transplantation, glucocorticoid use, advanced AIDS, chronic granulomatous diseases, and the use of immunosuppressants are considered to be the main factors inducing invasive aspergillosis, of which long-term agranulocytosis, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and blood malignancies are the high-risk factors.
Lizhu Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (000513. SZ 01513. HK) was founded in 1985 with a registered capital of 928 million yuan. It is a comprehensive pharmaceutical group company integrating pharmaceutical research and development, production, and sales, with nearly 9000 employees. Lizhu is committed to the research and development, production, and sales of active pharmaceutical ingredients, small molecule drugs, large molecule drugs, and diagnostic reagents. Its key therapeutic areas include anti-tumor, assisted reproduction, digestive tract, anti infection, and psychiatric/neurological fields.
Sungening Biotechnology was founded in 2021 and is an innovative drug enterprise focused on antifungal infection drugs and oral cyclic peptides. It has a fully independent drug pipeline and mature commercialization capabilities. Sungening Biotech's vision is to focus on developing new drugs that meet clinical needs and protect human health, striving to develop innovative drugs that can meet clinical needs.
Based on its complete independent innovation capability, the company has developed multiple innovative drug pipelines worldwide in just a few years. One pipeline has been approved for IND, two pipelines are in the clinical application stage, and two pipelines are in the PCC stage. It is one of the few companies in China and even internationally that focuses on the development of innovative drugs for antifungal infections and oral cyclic peptides.
