Innovent's Pecondle wins NMPA approval

China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved Innovent Biologics’ (HKEX: 1801) Pecondle (picankibart injection), a recombinant anti-interleukin-23p19 subunit (IL-23p19) antibody, for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adult patients who are candidates for systematic therapy, making it the first drug in the class developed by a Chinese company to be authorized by the regulator.

Picankibart is designed for less frequent dosing compared to competitors like Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ) Tremfya (guselkumab) and AbbVie's (NYSE: ABBV) Skyrizi (risankizumab), potentially offering a more convenient treatment option.

According to Innovent, at present, the number of patients with psoriasis in China exceeds 7 million, among which the number of plaque psoriasis patients is the large, and the disease is characterized by chronicity and recurrence, often accompanied by itching, pain, scaling and changes in appearance, which significantly affect quality of life and mental health. In addition to skin involvement, patients often experience comorbidities such as cardiometabolic risk (hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism, etc) as well as depression and anxiety, all of which contribute to a long-term medical and economic burden to individuals and society.