HLB's Rivoceranib confirms versatility in liver cancer treatment

HLB, awaiting new drug approval in the U.S. for its liver cancer drug Rivoceranib, said Tuesday its liver cancer treatment improved the conditions of patients who were deemed inoperable.

The bio firm is awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the combination therapy of its Rivoceranib and Camrelizumab, an anticancer drug by China's Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine.

The company said a recent paper published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Oncology showed the results of administering the combination therapy to patients who couldn't receive surgery due to their condition.

The treatment improved their condition to the point where liver resection became possible, and successful surgeries were performed, the company said, adding that the combination drugs are being used for their subsequent treatments.

The liver is known as a "silent organ" because when symptoms of liver disease begin to appear, it is almost too late.

For this reason, liver cancer often spreads extensively to other organs before detection, making surgery challenging.

Liver cancer is one of the fastest-growing cancer types worldwide. If surgery is performed early, the five-year survival rate can reach 70 percent, but if cancer progresses to the point where surgery is impossible, the rate drops to around 20 percent.

HLB said the research demonstrates that Rivoceranib can be used in systemic chemotherapy for inoperable patients.

"At a time when we are discussing the subsequent clinical trials to conduct after FDA approval of the liver cancer drug, we are continuously witnessing new usage options of this drug emerging," said Shim Kyoung-jae, HLB's public relations director. "The remarkable versatility of Rivoceranib will change the landscape of the market."

The researchers who published the paper in the scientific journal reported that after a year and a half of follow-up observation after surgery, there were no recurrences or metastases of liver cancer in the patients, indicating that the combination therapy could open a new treatment market, HLB said.

"The researchers expressed the opinion that the combination therapy would further extend the survival periods of patients who were previously inoperable," the company said.

HLB Chairman Jin Yang-gon told shareholders in a meeting Friday he expects Rivoceranib to receive FDA approval soon.

"After earning FDA approval, we will conduct global Phase 3 clinical trials after considering the market size, superiority of the drug in terms of data and other circumstances."