November 18, 2014, Taicang, Suzhou, China – Suzhou Connect Biopharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced that it has initiated a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate CBP-307, the company’s lead drug candidate for autoimmune diseases, in Australia.

The Phase I trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy volunteers to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of CBP-307 oral capsule. At least 64 healthy volunteers will be enrolled in the single ascending dose and the 4-week repeat dose study.

“We are extremely excited to begin our first-in-man study of CBP-307, a second generation S1P1 modulator.  S1P1 is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) with a central role in regulating T cell movement in our body, and it has been validated as a drug target for a number of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),” said Dr. Zheng Wei, co-founder and CEO of Suzhou Connect Biopharmaceuticals.“CBP-307 has been developed with the aim of offering a better safety profile than the first generation drug currently on the market. We now have an opportunity to determine whether its superior preclinical attributes translate into clinical benefits.”

“We are very pleased that Connect has progressed into a clinical-stage company in just two and a half years of its inception,” said Dr. Wubin (William) Pan, co-founder and Chairman of Connect. “The rapid progress of CBP-307 is a strong validation of our operation strategy, which combines highly focused internal research with efficient collaborations with top-quality CROs at all stages of our programs.”

About Suzhou Connect Biopharmaceuticals

Founded in 2012, Suzhou Connect Biopharmaceuticals discovers and develops novel medicines for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The company identifies and advances its drug candidates through internal discovery and in-licensing. Its lead program CBP-307 is an orally-active S1P1 agonist with best-in-class potential for the treatment of a range of autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and psoriasis. In addition to CBP-307, the company is advancing CBP-174, an in-licensed drug candidate for allergic inflammation; and CBP-201, an internally-discovered monoclonal antibody for the treatment of asthma and eczema.