Shanghai Henlius Biotech (HKG:2696) dosed the first patient in a phase two clinical study of the HLX43 for injection in mainland China, excluding the Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan regions, a Monday Hong Kong bourse filing said.
The injection is an antibody-drug conjugate and targets PD-L1 with a novel DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor.
The drug is being tested for the treatment of recurrent/metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, the cancer that forms in the thin, flat cells lining the inside of the esophagus.
The company plans to further the clinical trials for the treatment of potential indications such as cervical cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and non-small cell lung cancer.