iBio, Inc.  announced the commencement of a strategic commercial relationship with CC-Pharming Ltd. for the joint development of products and manufacturing facilities for the Chinese biopharmaceutical market, utilizing iBio’s technology. 

The first product focus selected pursuant to the agreement executed between iBio and CC-Pharming will be a therapeutic antibody, with additional, mutually selected products to be added to the venture as it proceeds. Service fees payable to iBio for this first phase will be approximately $4.7 million. iBio will provide process development and manufacturing services at its Texas facility for initial product development, and will assist CC-Pharming in facility design and optimization for eventual manufacturing in China. CC-Pharming will manage all operations in China with iBio participating through joint ownership of the China business and ongoing collaboration.

“China’s biologics development and manufacturing infrastructure is grossly inadequate for the massive population it must serve,” said Robert B. Kay, iBio’s chairman and chief executive officer. “iBio’s technology and its CDMO will enable immediate commencement of development and manufacture of biologic products – such as bio-better therapeutic antibody related to rituximab – and rapid economic development and manufacture of other products to supply the China market.  CC-Pharming is an excellent partner for iBio due to the depth of its expertise and the vision we share for bringing significant product benefits of iBio’s technology and capabilities, combined with those of CC-Pharming, to the people of China.”

The initial phase of the collaboration focuses on a monoclonal therapeutic antibody product, a plant-derived bio-better rituximab.  Rituximab was first approved by the U.S. FDA in 1997 for treatment of certain B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Since that time, its clinical uses have expanded to encompass treatment of a range of autoimmune diseases including certain types of rheumatoid arthritis.  iBio and CC-Pharming are jointly pursuing the medical and business goal of introducing a plant-made antibody superior to rituximab in performance and more affordable than rituximab in price.

“Our first product selection is very important but is only the beginning of what I believe CC-Pharming and iBio can do together with our combined scientific approach to the business of biopharmaceuticals,” said Dr. Kevin Wang, CC-Pharming’s chairman and chief scientific officer. “I have evaluated many technologies over many years, but I’ve never been as enthusiastic about any process as I am about the approach we are undertaking with iBio.”

The companies expect to jointly select additional products for development and joint exclusive sales in the territory of China using iBio’s proprietary plant-based approach to provide significant time advantages in early product development and testing, and rapid and predictable scale up to commercial quantity production.