Abdul Latif Jameel Health to collaborate with EQRx to introduce two novel & affordable cancer treatments at a fraction of the cost of existing approaches to 1.5 billion people across the Middle East, Turkey & Africa

• Aumolertinib and Sugemalimab have both shown positive data from Phase III studies in treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and could offer treatment at a fraction of the cost of existing and traditional approaches
• EQRx is committed to developing new medicines, offering them at lower prices, reimagining medicine to address one of society’s biggest health care challenges
• Founded in 2020, Abdul Latif Jameel Health was created as a response to the ongoing global disparity in access to modern medical care, focusing on accelerating healthcare inclusion across the global south

Abdul Latif Jameel Health, part of international diversified family business Abdul Latif Jameel, and EQRx, a new type of pharmaceutical company committed to developing and delivering important new medicines to patients at significantly lower prices, have entered into a new strategic collaboration for the commercialization of two affordable novel lung cancer therapeutics to millions of people across the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

The two oncology programs, Aumolertinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor and Sugemalimab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, have shown promising Phase 3 data for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

These therapies may offer treatment at a fraction of the cost of existing and traditional approaches.

This new strategic collaboration will see Abdul Latif Jameel Health commercialize the drugs to selected markets throughout the Middle East region, as well as in Turkey and all of Africa, providing access to affordable treatments for thousands of patients with advanced NSCLC.

“This agreement comes as we forge ahead in our mission to source, collaborate with and fund innovators within the medical world that are re-examining how to improve the current healthcare landscape by disrupting existing methods and working to accelerate the wider inclusivity of healthcare throughout the world,” said Akram Bouchenaki, Chief Executive Officer, Abdul Latif Jameel Health.  

“It’s our joint mission with EQRx to change that and, a mission that is aligned with the values of the Jameel Family.”

“This strategic collaboration aims to expand the commercial reach of our lead oncology programs throughout the middle east, Turkey and Africa and provide millions of people with access to affordable new cancer treatments,” said Melanie Nallicheri, Chief Executive Officer, EQRx.

“We are excited to partner with Abdul Latif Jameel Health who bring extensive regulatory and commercial expertise in these vast regions as we continue to work to create sustainable access to innovative medicines globally.”

Abdul Latif Jameel Health also confirmed that it participated in previous funding rounds for EQRx through the dedicated JIMCO Life Sciences Fund, part of JIMCO, the Jameel Family’s global investment arm.

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Notes to Editors:

About Lung Cancer

• Every 15 seconds, a person across the world is diagnosed with lung cancer, and every 18 seconds, a person dies of the disease, making it the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death worldwide.
• In 2020, an estimated 2.2 million people were diagnosed with lung cancer.^[1] NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for 84% of all lung cancer diagnoses.^[2]

About Aumolertinib

Aumolertinib 110 mg once-daily is a prescription medicine approved in China as AMEILE® for the treatment of patients with metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC, as detected by a genomic test, who have progressed on or after prior EGFR TKI therapy.  Aumolertinib is a novel, irreversible EGFR-TKI that selectively inhibits both EGFR sensitizing and resistance mutations with high selectivity over wild-type EGFR.  Aumolertinib was approved in China in March 2020 based on the large single arm Phase 2 APOLLO study in second-line settings.  The ongoing Phase 3 AENEAS trial in first-line settings met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival and topline results were presented at the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting. Hansoh Pharma and EQRx have partnered to expand global access to Aumolertinib.  EQRx holds the development and commercialization rights to Aumolertinib outside of Greater China and is pursuing regulatory discussions in multiple countries.

About Sugemalimab

Sugemalimab is an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) discovered by CStone Pharmaceuticals.  Authorized by the US-based Ligand Corporation, Sugemalimab is developed by the OmniRat^® transgenic animal platform, which can generate fully human antibodies in one stop.  As a fully human, full-length anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, Sugemalimab mirrors the natural G-type immunoglobulin 4 (IgG4) human antibody, which reduces the risk of immunogenicity and potential toxicities in patients, a potential advantage during treatment.  Currently, Sugemalimab is being investigated in a number of ongoing clinical trials including four Phase 3 registration studies in Stage III NSCLC (GEMSTONE-301), Stage IV NSCLC (GEMSTONE-302), gastric cancer, and esophageal cancer. Both the GEMSTONE-301 and GEMSTONE-302 studies met their primary endpoints of progression free survival and results were recently presented at global medical congresses.   In November 2020, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China accepted the New Drug Application for Sugemalimab combined with chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of advanced squamous and non-squamous NSCLC patients. EQRx holds the development and commercialization rights to Sugemalimab outside of Greater China and is pursuing regulatory discussions in multiple countries.

About Abdul Latif Jameel Health

Backed by Abdul Latif Jameel, one of the most respected diversified family businesses and investors with a 75-year heritage, deep roots, and established networks alongside a multi-sector presence in 30 countries across six continents, Abdul Latif Jameel Health is uniquely positioned as a trusted partner in realizing major innovations and opportunities in the healthcare world.

Abdul Latif Jameel Health reflects the Jameel family’s long-established commitment to innovating for a better future through Community Jameel, an international organization supporting science and technology-led solutions to global challenges.  Community Jameel and MIT co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health (Jameel Clinic) in September 2018 – which has rapidly become the very epicenter of AI and healthcare at MIT – and the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (Jameel Institute) co-founded with Imperial College London, in October 2019, using novel data analytics to reduce global risk of preventable disease most recently including the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthening health systems in the most fragile settings.

Abdul Latif Jameel Health takes this commitment into the commercial environment addressing tangible real-world needs today, for a better tomorrow.  It is focused on health care inclusion in the global south, accelerating access to modern medical care for those who need it most by opening up/growing new markets for distribution of existing solutions and investing in the future of MedTech.

The Jameel Investment Management Company (JIMCO) the global investment arm of the Jameel Family, actively invests in innovative, early-stage and breakthrough ventures and technology, aiming to positively shape the future of core industries driving the global economy through its’ investments that span medical and healthcare industries, from pharmaceuticals and vaccines to cutting-edge medical technology, along with emergent technologies across FinTech, InsurTech, electric vehicles and future mobility solutions.

For further information, visit: https://aljhealth.com and our brand video here.
Media Contact: Email aljhealth@edelman.com or telephone: +971 54 996 9935 (GMT +4 hours UAE)

About EQRx

EQRx is a new type of pharmaceutical company committed to developing and delivering innovative medicines to patients at radically lower prices. Launched in January 2020, EQRx is purpose-built, at scale, with a growing catalog of medicines in development in high-cost drug categories and emerging partnerships with leading payers and providers. Leveraging cutting-edge science and technology and strategic partnerships with stakeholders from across the healthcare system, EQRx aims to provide innovative, patent-protected medicines more efficiently and cost-effectively than ever before. In August 2021, EQRx announced a proposed combination with CM Life Sciences III (Nasdaq: CMLTU) to accelerate its growth. The combination is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021. To learn more, visit www.eqrx.com and follow on social media: Twitter: @EQRxInc, LinkedIn, Instagram: @eqrxinc.

EQRx™ and Remaking Medicine™ are trademarks of EQRx, Inc.

EQRx Media Contact: Dan Budwick dan@1abmedia.com

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[1] World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer. Globocan 2020: Lung Cancer. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Available https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/15-Lung-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed: May 20, 2021.

[2]   https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/about/key-statistics.htm