SHANGHAI, China, October 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd (Junshi Biosciences, HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180), a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, announced that the first patient dosing has been completed in a multi-center, randomized, controlled, and open-label phase 3 clinical study evaluating the efficacy and safety of the company’s product, recombinant humanized anti-PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody (code: JS207), in combination with recombinant humanized anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody (code: JS007) compared to toripalimab in combination with bevacizumab for the first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (JS207-017-III-HCC Study, NCT07823348).
Liver cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system worldwide, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being the main pathological type (accounting for approximately 90%). China bears an exceptionally heavy disease burden of liver cancer. According to statistics of GLOBOCAN 2024, there were approximately 354,100 new liver cancer cases and 303,800 liver cancer deaths in China in 2024, making it the second leading cause of cancer-related death after lung cancer. Due to its insidious onset, over 50% of patients are diagnosed at an intermediate or advanced stage.
Systemic therapy is an important treatment modality for intermediate and advanced liver cancer, which primarily includes molecular targeted drugs, immunotherapy and systemic chemotherapy. However, as the median overall survival of current first-line systemic therapies is less than 2 years, there remain substantial unmet clinical needs for patients with intermediate and advanced liver cancer.
In October 2026, the results of a phase 2 clinical study of JS207 in combination with JS007 for the first-line treatment of advanced HCC were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 (Abstract No.: #1693eP). The study results showed that the drug combination therapy exhibited robust anti-tumor activity. A total of 36 patients received treatment of JS207 in combination with JS007 (3 mg/kg Q6W for two cycles, and 1 mg/kg Q6W (i.e. recommended dose) thereafter). Among 34 efficacy-evaluable patients, the objective response rate (ORR) of combined treatment reached 44.1%, the disease control rate (DCR) reached 85.3%, the median progression-free survival (PFS) had not yet been reached, and the six-month PFS rate reached 67%. The drug combination therapy was well tolerated.
JS207-017-III-HCC study is a multi-center, randomized, controlled, open-label phase 3 clinical study. The study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of JS207 in combination with JS007 compared to toripalimab in combination with bevacizumab for the first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. This study plans to enroll 560 subjects, and the primary endpoints are PFS and overall survival (OS).