On March 20, 2024, Joincare (Joincare Pharmaceutical Group Industry Co., Ltd)  signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Bayer for the development, commercialization, and production of a small molecule inhibitor in China. This marks Joincare 's first introduction of an innovative drug pipeline in the respiratory field from a leading global multinational company.

The small molecule compound in question is an innovative oral medication for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which effectively prevents the production of COPD inflammatory mediators by inhibiting the activity of prolyl endopeptidase (PREP). This unique mechanism of action is expected to bring significant benefits to COPD patients and may also have a positive impact on the overall progression of the disease.

Public studies indicate that COPD is a global health issue. In China, in particular, COPD has become one of the public health concerns, affecting the quality of life of hundreds of millions of people. As one of the key diseases targeted for prevention and treatment in the "Healthy China 2030" action plan, the situation for COPD prevention and control is extremely severe. At the National People's Congress in recent years, many delegates have continued to focus on the prevention and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. At this year's National People's Congress, the topic of exploring the establishment of a COPD prevention and control model suitable for China's national conditions remains a focus of attention for many national delegates and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, with representatives calling for the inclusion of COPD prevention and treatment in the national basic public health service projects.

Results from the "China Adult Lung Health Study" show that there are about 100 million COPD patients in China, with a prevalence of 8.6% among people aged 20 and above, and a prevalence as high as 13.7% among those aged 40 and above. COPD has become the third leading chronic non-communicable disease. Despite continuous advancements in treatment methods, COPD still has the characteristics of high incidence, high disability rate, high mortality rate, and low awareness, low diagnosis rate, and low control rate, known as the "three highs and three lows." Especially in China, the prevalence and burden of COPD are exceptionally heavy, and there is an urgent need for effective treatment solutions.

Currently, there are very limited oral medication options for COPD globally, and the drugs for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China are still mainly bronchodilators and corticosteroids, with a lack of oral anti-inflammatory drug varieties. The licensed compound is an innovative oral drug developed by Bayer, which has successfully completed Phase I clinical trials in Europe.

Based on the good response and progress shown in research, this drug may become an important therapeutic breakthrough, bringing new strategies for the treatment of COPD patients in China.

As a leading innovative drug company in the field of inhalation formulations, Joincare  has always regarded the inhalation formulation sector as one of the company's strategic focuses. In addition to strengthening its own research and development layout, Joincare  has also introduced several innovative drugs, continuously expanding the company's Big Pharma-level product pipeline. With the exclusive authorization from Bayer obtained this time, Joincare  has reached three important strategic cooperations in the respiratory field within the year.

At the end of January 2024, Joincare  announced two strategic cooperations for drugs mainly used to treat respiratory system diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including a strategic cooperation with Qianxin Bio on TSLP monoclonal antibody QX008N, and a cooperation with Boao Bio on the exclusive rights of the anti-IL-4Rα long-acting monoclonal antibody BA2101 injection in China. The three cooperations have expanded from injections to oral medications, further enriching Joincare 's layout in the respiratory field in terms of research and development pipeline and product variety."