The 55^th annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference was recently held in Chicago, IL, the U.S., where Betta’s two innovative drugs, ensartinib and vorolanib were presented. They have attracted widespread attention from the world's top physicians and scholars for their latest clinical findings.

Founded in 1964, ASCO is a leading global professional organization for oncologists and aims to prevent cancer, improve cancer care, promote basic and clinical cancer and translational medicine. The ASCO annual conference is the largest, most influential and most prestigious international academic conference in the global oncology field and has attracted numerous world-class oncologists, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies and patient groups to share and discuss the most cutting-edge clinical oncology research and cancer treatments. With the theme "Caring for Every Patient, Learning from Every Patient", the 2019 ASCO annual conference presented a platform for the publication and exchange of clinical oncology research results.

With the company’s vision to become a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in China, Betta highly values the opportunity to learn and share innovations in bio-medicine at international conferences. It has participated in and issued multiple key research publications at ASCO annual conferences: in 2011, the phase III ICOGEN study results of icotinib hydrochloride was reported as China's first small molecule targeted anti-cancer drug presented at ASCO, demonstrating a world-class research level of China's pharmaceutical industry. At this year’s meeting, Xcovery (U.S.), a subsidiary of Betta Pharmaceuticals, participated in the meeting with its new drugs ensartinib and vorolanib, presented their study results along with MSD, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, and AbbVie.

Ensartinib is a novel potent and highly selective next-generation ALK inhibitor. Betta has conducted a number of clinical studies on ensartinib domestically and globally; its phase II (second-line) clinical studies have shown a high efficacy and safety of ensartinib in patients with crizotinib-resistant ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The overall ORR of ensartinib is 48.7%, the disease control rate is 87.8%, the intracranial ORR is 66.7%, and the control rate of intracranial lesions reaches 92.8%. The efficacy of ensartinib is comparable to that of its competitors; the response rate and the safety profile are both stellar in patients with intracranial metastases. The global multi-center phase III clinical trial is currently ongoing and the patient enrollment has been completed. The trial is expected to be completed next year and is expected to become the first innovative drug independently developed by a Chinese company to be launched globally.

Vorolanib is a next-generation multi-target kinase inhibitor with a novel chemical structure, which has inhibitory effects on multiple targets such as VEGFR, PDGFR, c-Kit, Flt-3, and CSF1R. Betta initiated a phase III clinical trial of vorolanib to treat renal cancer in China. Vorolanib has broad prospects, especially in combination with immunotherapy. A number of clinical trials with PD-1 inhibitors have been conducted domestically and globally, including the combination study with Opdivo in the U.S. to treat NSCLC and the one with toripalimab in melanoma conducted in China. Betta will constantly explore new indications for vorolanib and strives to explore it great market potential.

  The chairman of the ensartinib global multi-center phase III clinical study eXalt3 steering committee, Dr. Leora Horn of Vanderbilt University spoke highly of the project, affirming that ensartinib has excellent efficacy and safety profiles. As a next-generation ALK inhibitor, it is expected to be recognized as a new treatment option for ALK-positive patients with NSCLC.

About Betta

Betta Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Stock code: 300558.SZ) is a national level high-tech enterprise, established by the experienced talent team of overseas returnees, with research and development (R&D) of innovative drugs as its core focus, integrating R&D, manufacturing and marketing. The company independently developed China's first small-molecule targeted anticancer drug, icotinib hydrochloride (trade name: Conmana). It was recognized as a major breakthrough in the Chinese public healthcare industry and has won China Patent Gold Award twice as well as the first National Scientific and Technological Progress Award in China's chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Until the third quarter in 2019, icotinib has benefited 230,000 patients of advanced lung cancer, with the cumulative sales reaching nearly 7 billion RMB. The company has established a comprehensive new drug R&D platform, with its R&D centers in Hangzhou and Beijing, and more than 30 innovative drugs under development, covering multiple tumor indications such as lung cancer, renal cancer, and breast cancer. The company has also reached strategic collaboration with leading domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies such as Amgen, Xcovery, Tyrogenex, Merus, Mabworks, and InventisBio, to work together to promote the health and well-beings of the general public.