HUTCHMED and Innovent Jointly Announce that the FRUSICA-2 Phase II/III Study of Fruquintinib and Sintilimab Combination Has Met its Primary Endpoint in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma in China
March 19, 2025 – Biotechnology, Clinical Trials, Drug Discovery, Other, Pharmaceutical – China National Medical Products Administration, HUTCHMED, Innovent Bio, clinical trials, oncology, renal cell carcinoma
19 March 2025 — Hong Kong, Shanghai & New Jersey, US — HUTCHMED (China) Limited and Innovent Biologics, Inc, today jointly announce that the FRUSICA-2 Phase II/III clinical trial evaluating fruquintinib in combination with sintilimab as second-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (“RCC”) in China has met its primary endpoint of progression free survival (“PFS”) per RECIST 1.1 as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR).
The combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab received conditional approval from the China National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA”) for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial cancer with Mismatch Repair proficient (pMMR) tumors that have failed prior systemic therapy and are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation, based on data from the FRUSICA-1 study (NCT03903705).
The FRUSICA-2 study is a randomized, open-label, active-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fruquintinib in combination with sintilimab versus axitinib or everolimus monotherapy for the second-line treatment of advanced RCC (NCT05522231). In addition to the primary endpoint PFS, the combination also demonstrated improvements in secondary endpoints including objective response rate (“ORR”) and duration of response (“DoR”). Full results will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming scientific conference.
Prof Dingwei Ye of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and the co-leading Principal Investigator of the FRUSICA-2 study, said, “The rapid advancements in targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and their combination regimens have led to a significant evolution in the treatment landscape for advanced renal cell carcinoma. Targeted therapy remains an indispensable and crucial component in systemic treatment of advanced RCC in China. Optimizing the selection of targeted therapy, either as monotherapy or in combination with immunotherapy, for individual patients is a key focus of clinical interest. The results from the FRUSICA‑2 study underscore the potential of the fruquintinib and sintilimab combination to address the pressing medical needs of patients with this challenging disease.”
Prof Zhisong He of Peking University First Hospital and the co-leading Principal Investigator of the FRUSICA-2 study, said, “The positive results from this Phase III study of the fruquintinib and sintilimab combination represent a significant advancement in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. We are optimistic about the clinical implications of the findings as we strive to provide more effective treatment options for patients who may not have had adequate responses to previous therapies.”
“The encouraging results from our study provide clear evidence for the combination of fruquintinib and sintilimab as a viable new treatment option for advanced renal cell carcinoma patients who have progressed on previous therapy. This not only reaffirms our commitment to advancing cancer therapies but also represents an important step forward in addressing unmet medical needs within this patient population,” said Dr Michael Shi, Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer of HUTCHMED. “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the patients and investigators who participated in this research; their contributions have been vital to our success. We look forward to sharing detailed findings with regulatory authorities and progressing toward NDA filings in the coming months.”
“We are encouraged by the positive results in the FRUSICA-2 clinical trial. These outcomes not only underscore the great potential of the combination therapy of sintilimab and fruquintinib but also bring new hope to previously-treated patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. We look forward to working closely with HUTCHMED to jointly advance the registrational communication of this innovative combo therapy and make it available to patients as soon as possible,” said Dr Hui Zhou, Senior Vice President of Innovent.
About HUTCHMED
HUTCHMED is an innovative, commercial-stage, biopharmaceutical company. It is committed to the discovery, global development and commercialization of targeted therapies and immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and immunological diseases. Since inception, HUTCHMED has focused on bringing drug candidates from in-house discovery to patients around the world, with its first three medicines marketed in China, the first of which is also approved around the world including in the US, Europe and Japan. For more information, please visit www.hutch-med.com.
About Innovent
Innovent is a leading biopharmaceutical company founded in 2011 with the mission to empower patients worldwide with affordable, high-quality biopharmaceuticals. The company discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes innovative medicines that target some of the most intractable diseases. Its pioneering therapies treat cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic, autoimmune and eye diseases. Innovent has launched 15 products in the market. It has 3 new drug applications under regulatory review, 3 assets in Phase III or pivotal clinical trials and 16 more molecules in early clinical stage. Innovent partners with over 30 global healthcare companies, including Lilly, Sanofi, Incyte, Adimab, LG Chem and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Guided by the motto, “Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action,” Innovent maintains the highest standard of industry practices and works collaboratively to advance the biopharmaceutical industry so that first-rate pharmaceutical drugs can become widely accessible. For more information, visit www.innoventbio.com,
