On November 7, 2023, during the 6th China International Import Expo, Bayer and OrigiMed signed an NTRK Pan-Tumor Innovation Cooperation Agreement. Both parties will fully leverage their strengths and resources to expand the innovative cooperation model for the care of NTRK pan-tumor patients jointly, providing care services for NTRK fusion-positive patients in China, further reducing the burden of medication for patients. At the same time, the two parties will also work together to explore precision diagnosis and treatment for NTRK pan-tumor, contributing to the high-quality development of precision medical treatment.

signing ceremony group photo

In recent years, precision medicine has made rapid progress, and targeted therapies for genomic alterations have showed significant advantages in clinical. NTRK gene fusions, as a rare genomic change, can promote tumor proliferation and metastasis as tumor drivers. NTRK gene fusion tumors can occur in various parts of the body, not limited to certain tissue types. The incidence of NTRK gene fusion tumors also varies in different solid tumors among adults and children. Because of the large number of cancer patients in our country, the number of patients with NTRK gene fusions is not to be underestimated. Vitrakvi^®, as the world's first oral NTRK inhibitor, is a precision targeted drug specifically designed for adult and pediatric patients with NTRK gene fusion tumors. Its capsules and oral solutions were approved for marketing in China in 2022 and made a successful debut at the 5th China International Import Expo, ushering in the era of precision targeted therapy for pan-tumor in China. At the same time, the NTRK pan-tumor companion diagnostic kit (CDx) co-developed by Bayer and OrigiMed was passing the "Special Review for Innovative Medical Devices" approval by the Center for Medical Device Technology Evaluation of the National Medical Products Administration. This is the first CDx based on NGS technology and suitable for Vitrakvi^® in China, to bring new hope to more patients with NTRK gene fusions.

The transition from traditional treatment models to precision treatment models is an effective path to promote the high-quality development of oncology. To help more economically disadvantaged Chinese NTRK fusion-positive patients reduce their financial burden, Bayer and OrigiMed have launched the "NTRK Patients Care Innovation Cooperation Project" jointly.  This project will further explore and cooperate in areas such as patient care and reducing the financial burden of medication for patients. In terms of improving patient affordability, since 2023, Bayer has supported the patient assistance project initiated by the China Primary Health Care Foundation, aiming to alleviate the treatment burden on patients and enable more patients to receive continuous and standardized treatment for better therapeutic outcomes. With the approval of NTRK drugs in China, in April 2022, OrigiMed Precision Medicine E-Hospital launched China's first NTRK clinic. Over the past year, the NTRK clinic has successfully treated more than 1,500 patients and provided detailed oncology knowledge for many patients, including interpretations of genetic testing, immunotherapy, targeted drugs, clinical trials, and cutting-edge advancements. In addition, OrigiMed is also providing patient care services to patients in need, working hard for the welfare of patients.

Han Shuang, General Manager of Bayer's Prescription Medicine Oncology Business Unit, said: "Precision medicine is one of the key areas that Bayer focuses on. The approval and launch of Vitrakvi^® have brought significant survival benefits and improved quality of life for Chinese NTRK fusion-positive patients. For many years, Bayer has been based on advantageous treatment areas, such as the high-incidence digestive system tumors in China, liver and colorectal cancer, as well as prostate cancer, a malignant tumor in men with increasing incidence year by year, developing innovative product portfolios to meet the unmet medical needs in cancer treatment continuously. At the same time, Bayer is also deepening and promoting local cooperation, working with partners from different fields to promote the comprehensive improvement of cancer diagnosis and treatment in China. This time, with the help of the important platform of the China International Import Expo, Bayer and OrigiMed have launched the 'NTRK Patient Care Innovation Cooperation Project' jointly. We hope to explore innovative precision diagnosis and treatment models to alleviate the medication burden on NTRK gene fusion patients. At the same time, Bayer and OrigiMed will leverage their respective strengths to explore more cooperation possibilities, and work together to promote the detection rate and treatment rate of precision diagnosis and treatment in China, contributing to the construction of a multi-level medical security system and supporting the ‘Healthy China 2030’."

Han Shuang, General Manager of Bayer's Prescription Medicine Oncology Business Unit

Lu Tao, General Manager of OrigiMed Innovation Center, said: "OrigiMed is an innovative medical technology company focused on precision diagnosis and treatment of cancer, dedicated to providing personalized precision diagnosis and treatment solution for each patient. Our AI-driven model-SmartMTB based on a professional knowledge base, along with our professional medical team, provides patients with full-process management from personalized diagnosis and treatment recommendations to health management services, and helps patients reduce the burden of medication through innovative cooperation models. We are looking forward to joining forces with Bayer to explore new patterns of innovative payment for pan-tumor, providing high-quality and convenient patient care services for Chinese adults and children with NTRK gene fusion tumors, bringing high-quality medical resources to more Chinese patients, reducing the actual burden of medication for patients, promoting the innovative development of precision diagnosis and treatment, and benefiting more Chinese patients."

Lu Tao, General Manager of OrigiMed Innovation Center