Chi-Med Initiates HMPL-523 Clinical Trials in Hematological Cancer in China

Hutchison China MediTech Limited announces that it has initiated a Phase I trial of its novel spleen tyrosine kinase (“Syk”) inhibitor, HMPL-523, in patients with hematological malignancies in China.  The first patient was dosed on December 27, 2016.  This study complements the ongoing Phase I trial in patients in Australia with hematological malignancies, which is expected to complete dose-escalation in the first half of 2017.

Syk, a non-receptor type of tyrosine kinase, plays a pivotal role in the regulation of the B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway, which regulates proliferation, differentiation and survival of B lymphocytes.  The abnormal activation of BCR signaling is closely related to transformation and development of B-cell lymphoma.  Data from a recent pre-clinical study investigating the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activities of HMPL-523 was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology held in San Diego, CA on December 5, 2016.  The presentation is available at www.chi-med.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/pre161206_523ash.pdf.

Additional details about this study may be found at clinicaltrials.gov, using identifier NCT02857998.

Clinical development in immunology

HMPL-523 is also being studied in immunological indications.  Clinical data for HMPL-523 in a Phase I dose-escalating study in healthy volunteers in Australia was recently presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, which was held in November 2016.  The detailed poster presentation can be viewed at www.chi-med.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pre1611141.png.  The Company plans to initiate proof-of-concept clinical trials in the United States in 2017.