Immunotherapy giant ImmunityBio has announced a major Middle East expansion, partnering with Biopharma and Cigalah Healthcare to launch its breakthrough cancer therapy ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept) in Saudi Arabia, with plans to extend across the broader MENA region.

 

The partnership will see Biopharma and Cigalah drive commercialization and distribution of ANKTIVA in two critical indications: in combination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

 

To support this launch, ImmunityBio has established a wholly owned subsidiary in Saudi Arabia, signaling its long-term commitment to growth across the Middle East and North Africa.

 

“We’re pleased to partner with two of the largest healthcare and distribution companies to launch ANKTIVA to patients in Saudi Arabia and, across the broader Middle East and North Africa region,” said Richard Adcock, President and CEO of ImmunityBio. 

 

“Their combined world-class commercial infrastructure and proven track record in bringing innovative therapies to patients with serious diseases will help accelerate access to ANKTIVA and support our commitment to serving physicians and health systems throughout the region, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt.”

 

The MENA region faces a rising burden of serious cancers. Lung cancer is among the most prevalent cancers in Saudi Arabia and the third most common among males over 45, while Lebanon leads the world in bladder cancer incidence, with Syria and Egypt also heavily affected.

 

“At Cigalah and Biopharma our goal is to ensure that physicians and their patients have ready access to the most advanced therapies available for the most difficult-to-treat diseases like cancer,” said Tamer Eissa, General Manager, Biopharma. 

 

“That is exactly what ImmunityBio brings with ANKTIVA, and we are pleased to partner with them to help extend the lives of bladder and lung cancer patients in Saudi Arabia, and the rest of the Middle Eastern countries we serve.”

 

Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, Founder, Executive Chairman, and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of ImmunityBio, highlighted regulatory momentum in the region: “We have just returned from a highly productive trip to the Middle East and met with the leadership of Saudi FDA and the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) to advance the development of ANKTIVA for expanded patient and indication access to the Middle East. 

 

"I am highly encouraged by the collaborative engagement of the leadership of the regulatory authorities in the region and their desire to interact with ImmunityBio to expand access of the BioShield platform across multiple tumor types for their citizens. 

 

"The initial approval by Saudi FDA for ANKTIVA in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, in patients with checkpoint failures in lung cancer has catalyzed the opportunity to build on Immunotherapy 2.0 across multiple tumor types with ANKTIVA as the backbone to NK cell therapy.”

 

This deal positions ImmunityBio at the forefront of delivering next-generation immunotherapies to one of the world’s most critical emerging healthcare markets.