Jiangsu Hengrui gets conditional approval for new cancer drug

The Chinese company Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals said in a statement on Monday that it has received conditional approval from the National Medical Products Administration for its new cancer drug, Zeprumetostat.

The treatment has been cleared for use by adult patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma who have already received at least one systemic therapy. R/R PTCL is a rare and aggressive blood cancer with limited treatment options.

Zeprumetostat is China's first domestically developed EZH2 inhibitor. EZH2 is an enzyme tied to cancer cell growth, and drugs targeting it are seen as a promising approach in oncology. Hengrui describes its product as a selective, oral therapy designed to offer new hope for patients.

Following the news, Hengrui's stock share price climbed by 0.6 percent to 68.76 yuan ($9.63) at the midday break in the Shanghai stock market.

Under conditional approval, the medicine can be marketed while the company continues to supply longer-term clinical data on safety and effectiveness.