Boehringer Ingelheim and Simcere have announced a new licence and collaboration agreement for the development of SIM0709, a therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

SIM0709 is a pre-clinical TL1A/IL23p19 bispecific antibody created by Simcere through its proprietary multi-specific antibody platform. It helps to tackle the onset and progression of IBD. Various research – including in vitro primary cell studies and in vivo animal studies – has shown that SIM0709 is superior in efficacy to a combination of two monotherapies used to treat IBD.

IBD refers to a set of progressive conditions, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, that have serious quality of life impacts on patients. IBD often necessitates hospitalisation and surgery. Estimates suggest that over three million people around the world are affected by IBD. There is a major unmet medical need in this area, since current treatments do not fully prevent or undo complications associated with IBD.

Carine Boustany, US Innovation Unit site head and global head of immunology and respiratory diseases at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “In IBD, too many patients continue to progress and experience severe complications despite currently available anti-inflammatory therapies.”

Novo Nordisk and Aspect Biosystems have announced that they are entering a new phase of their existing partnership, which is focused on developing cellular medicines to treat diabetes.

The two companies have collaborated on cellular medicines to boost, replace or repair biological functions since 2023. The new phase will draw on joint work already performed as part of the partnership.

Aspect will lead the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of treatments created by the partnership, having acquired the rights to use Novo Nordisk’s stem cell-derived islet and cell and hypoimmune cell engineering technologies. Novo Nordisk’s expertise and capabilities in cell therapy research, development and manufacturing, as well as its US and Denmark experience, will be merged with Aspect’s platform, which is based in Canada.

Aspect’s platform will be used in the development of a new class of cellular medicines, designed to treat, and potentially cure, metabolic and endocrine diseases. One medicine generated by the platform will be an islet replacement treatment for type 1 diabetes. This medicine could restore control over blood glucose while eliminating the necessity for chronic suppression of the immune system.

AstraZeneca has announced a $15bn investment in China by 2030 to expand manufacturing and R&D. The investment is aligned with China’s Healthy China 2030 and ‘Common Health’ agenda for increased accessibility in innovative medicines.

AstraZeneca will increase its capabilities in the areas of cell therapy and radioconjugates, thereby advancing its portfolio of treatments for cancer as well as haematological and autoimmune diseases.

The company plans to drive UK/China collaboration through collaborative work with institutions such as the University of Oxford, the University of Glasgow, King’s College London and HSBC.

The investment will be divided across all areas of production, from initial drug discovery to manufacturing. It will also leverage partnerships with biotechnology companies for the global distribution of products developed in China.
Following its acquisition of Gracell Biotechnologies in 2024, AstraZeneca will soon become the first major global biopharmaceutical company with end-to-end cell therapy capabilities in China.

AstraZeneca already has R&D centres in Beijing and Shanghai that collaborate extensively on global clinical trials. It will now further develop its Chinese manufacturing facilities in Wuxi, Taizhou, Qingdao and Beijing, as well as announcing new sites in future.