China National Intellectual Property Administration Affirms Validity of Harbour BioMed's Patent; Infringement Lawsuit Moves Forward
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and SHANGHAI, June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Harbour BioMed (HKEX: 02142), a global biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of novel antibody therapeutics focusing on immunology and oncology, today announced key developments in its intellectual property (IP) protection efforts. Following an invalidation request filed by Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. ("Biocytogen") against Harbour BioMed's patent entitled "Binding Molecule" (Patent Application No. CN201210057668.0, the "HCAb Patent"), the China National Intellectual Property Administration ("CNIPA") issued a final decision on June 5, 2025, upholding the patent under Articles 22.3, 26.3, 26.4, and 33 of the Patent Law of the People's Republic of China. The HCAb patent covers a method for producing fully human heavy chain-only antibodies (HCAbs) utilizing transgenic animals.
On September 27, 2024, Harbour BioMed filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court against Biocytogen, alleging that its RenNano platform infringes Harbour BioMed's HCAb Patent. Biocytogen subsequently challenged the court's jurisdiction, first through an objection submitted to the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court on November 8, 2024, and later through an appeal to the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China on March 14, 2025. On May 27, 2025, the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China issued a final ruling, dismissing the appeal and affirming the jurisdiction of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court over the infringement lawsuit. This case has now advanced to the next stage of trial.
Dr. Jingsong Wang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Harbour BioMed, commented: "CNIPA's decision affirms the rightful protections of the pioneering innovation and core value of Harbour BioMed's intellectual property. We have established a global patent portfolio across key markets, providing robust protection for R&D investments and proprietary innovations enabled by our Harbour Mice® platform and associated technologies. Moving forward, we will continue to leverage our patented HCAb technology to accelerate the development of transformative therapies in collaboration with global partners, ultimately bringing meaningful benefits to patients worldwide."
About Harbour BioMed
Harbour BioMed (HKEX: 02142) is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of novel antibody therapeutics in immunology and oncology. The company is building a robust and differentiated pipeline through internal R&D capabilities, strategic global collaborations in co-discovery and co-development, and selective acquisitions.
Harbour BioMed's proprietary antibody technology platform, Harbour Mice®, generates fully human monoclonal antibodies in both the conventional two heavy and two light chain (H2L2) format and the heavy chain-only (HCAb) format. Building upon HCAb antibodies, the HCAb-based immune cell engagers (HBICE®) bispecific antibody technology enables tumor-killing effects that traditional combination therapies cannot achieve. Additionally, the HCAb-based bispecific immune cell antagonist (HBICATM) technology empowers the development of innovative biologics for immunological and inflammatory diseases. By integrating Harbour Mice®, HBICE®, and HBICATM with a single B-cell cloning platform, Harbour BioMed has built a highly efficient and distinctive antibody discovery engine for developing next-generation therapeutic antibodies. For more information, please visit .