China-based cancer immunotherapy company BeiGene just filed with the SEC for a $100 million IPO, regulatory filings show.
The company’s developed a series of clinical-stage drug monoclonal antibiody candidates that serve as BTK, RAF and PARP inhibitors. It’s also got a small molecule PD-1 inhibitor in the works. BeiGene has raised some $170 million since its launch in 2010, and employs about 110 scientists.
BeiGene’s forthcoming plans include:
- Advancing its clinical stage pipeline. BeiGene has an open IND with the U.S. FDA for its BTK inhibitor, and the RAF inhibitor’s been approved for trial in China. BeiGene’s drugs have been tested in Australian and New Zealand in dose escalation studies, and seem to be doing well.
- BeiGene says it’s the only company to wholly own both a clinical stage BTK inhibitor and a PD-1 inhibitor, and plans to interweave its other monoclonal antibody therapies with the PD-1 to develop combination therapies.
- Many next-gen cancer therapies are not widely used in China. BeiGene plans to bring immunotherapy to China on a broader scale.
BeiGene has collaborated with Merck since 2013 on its PARP inhibitor program, though it retains commercialization rights in China.
[Image courtesy of BeiGene]
