April 18, 2026 – Eli Lilly China today announced the launch in China of its innovative drugs, Antrolet® (mijizumab injection) and Antrolet® ( mijizumab injection (subcutaneous injection)), for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Antrolet® and Antrolet® (mijizumab), as inhibitors targeting the IL-23 p19 subunit, were approved by the National Medical Products Administration of China in February 2026 for the treatment of moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis (UC) and moderate to severe active Crohn's disease (CD) in adults. These drugs have the potential to help IBD patients achieve early symptom improvement, mucosal healing, and stable control for up to 3-4 years , providing an innovative option for precision targeted therapy of IBD in China.

Professor Chen Minhu, Chairman of the 11th Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Head of the 12th Chinese Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Group, and Academic Leader and Chief Expert of Gastroenterology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, emphasized:

In recent years, the incidence of IBD in China has continued to rise, and the treatment goal has shifted from symptom control to deep mucosal healing .^5,6 Mijicillinab, as an innovative drug targeting the IL-23p19 subunit, has shown in clinical research data to have the potential to help IBD patients improve symptoms such as rectal bleeding, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and urgency, achieving mucosal and histological healing and stable control for up to 3-4 years .^1,2,3,4,7,8 This aligns perfectly with our ideal treatment goals and will powerfully propel the diagnosis and treatment of IBD in China to new heights.

Eli Lilly Vice President and General Manager of China

De Helan

Antrol® and Antrol® ( mijicillinumab ) represent a key step for Eli Lilly in the field of gastrointestinal immunology and a significant milestone in our commitment to "rooted in China, serving China." IBD severely impacts patients' quality of life, and we understand their urgent need for innovative therapies. As the only IL-23p19 inhibitor currently possessing long-term data for UC at 4 years and CD at 3 years 7,8 , Antrol® and Antrol® ( mijicillinumab) offer patients innovative options. Moving forward, we will continue to improve drug accessibility and collaborate with all parties to help more Chinese IBD patients regain a healthy life.

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Eli Lilly Global Senior Vice President

Head of Eli Lilly China Drug Development and Medical Affairs Center

Dr. Wang Li

Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have inadequate responses to current treatments and are still seeking better treatment options. Antroletreli® and Antroletreli® ( mijicillinumab ) precisely block the binding of IL-23 to its receptor by selectively binding to the p19 subunit of IL-23, thus inhibiting the inflammatory response. Antroletreli® and Antroletreli® ( mijicillinumab) are currently the only IgG4 monoclonal antibodies among approved IL-23p19 inhibitors. Furthermore, their Fc domains incorporate FALA mutations to further reduce non-targeted immune responses. We believe that the launch of Antroletreli® and Antroletreli® ( mijicillinumab) will boost confidence among both doctors and patients, ultimately helping more patients.

Demand Focus

The disease burden of inflammatory

IBD, primarily including ulcerative colitis (UC) and colorectal cancer (CD), is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory bowel disease . ^5,6 With rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles, the incidence of IBD in China has increased significantly over the past 20 years, becoming one of the chronic diseases of concern in the field of digestive health .⁹ The disease commonly affects young adults, and typical clinical manifestations include abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and weight loss. Recurrent disease activity severely impacts patients' quality of life and may increase the risk of infection, hospitalization, surgery, and colorectal cancer . ^5,6

Currently, significant unmet clinical needs remain in the field of IBD in China. Domestic evidence-based guidelines for monitoring IBD biologic therapy show that up to 30% of IBD patients do not respond to initial treatment (primary non-response), and 50% experience secondary non-response.¹⁰ Patients urgently need more effective and safer innovative therapies. At the same time, IBD imposes a heavy economic burden on families and society, with medical expenses approximately three times that of the general population .^11,12 How to help patients achieve the transition from symptom control to deep remission has become a core challenge in clinical treatment.

Triple Benefits

Targeted and precise treatment benefits more patients

As highly selective IL-23 p19 inhibitors , Antrol® and Antrol® (mijizumab) block the core pathogenic pathway of IBD and regulate the immune inflammatory response. In the LUCENT series of studies, compared with the placebo group, Antrol® and Antrol® ( mijizumab) significantly improved patients' defecation urgency, rectal bleeding, and defecation frequency as early as week 2 of treatment, enhancing the early treatment experience.2 Observational analysis showed that among UC patients who achieved clinical remission at week 52 of treatment with Antrol® and Antrol® ( mijizumab ), 77.7% of patients maintained clinical remission and hormone - free clinical remission for four years of continuous treatment, and 42.3% of patients achieved triple remission (symptom, histological, and endoscopic). 8 In the VIVID series of studies, 48.4% of patients in the antrolene® and antrolene® (mijizumab) groups achieved endoscopic response and 58.2% achieved histological response at week 52, significantly better than the 9.0% and 16.1% in the placebo group, 1. Observational analysis showed that CD patients who achieved endoscopic response at week 52 of antrolene® and antrolene® (mijizumab) treatment maintained clinical remission and hormone - free clinical remission in up to 92.4% and 91.2% of patients, respectively, during the third year of continuous treatment, 9 .

Furthermore, results from the LUCENT and VIVID series studies showed that the incidence of serious disease-related complications remained low in IBD patients treated with antrolene® and antrolene® (mijirolumab). During week 12 to year 4 of UC treatment, only one UC-related hospitalization was reported in patients treated with antrolene® ( mijirolumab ) , and no UC-related surgical events were reported (incidence rates of 0.1/100 person-years and 0/100 person-years, respectively).⁴ In the first 12 weeks of CD treatment, compared with placebo, the incidence of CD-related hospitalizations and/or surgeries was reduced by approximately half in the antrolene® ( mijirolumab) group (incidence rate: 16.9 vs. 30.9/100 person-years); during weeks 12 to 52, the reduction was nearly 70% (4.5 vs. 14.0) . ¹³

About Antolide® ( Mijizumab Injection) and

Antolac® ( Mijizumab Injection (Subcutaneous Injection))

Antrol® ( mijizumab injection) and Antrol® ( mijizumab injection (subcutaneous injection)) are interleukin-23p19 antagonists indicated for adults with moderate to severe active CD and UC. Antrol® (mijizumab injection) and Antrol® (mijizumab injection (subcutaneous injection) ) selectively target the p19 subunit of IL-23, inhibiting the IL-23 pathway. Overactivation of this pathway plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of IBD; therefore, inhibiting the IL-23 signaling pathway is of great significance for controlling inflammation.

References

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2. D'Haens G, et al. Mirikizumab as Induction and Maintenance Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis. N Engl J Med. 2023;388(26):2444-2455

3. Laharie D, et al. P0563 Mirikizumab demonstrated sustained and durable long-term efficacy and favorable safety in week 52 endoscopic responders with Crohn's disease: 3-year VIVID-2 open-label extension interim results. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. 2026;20(Suppl 1):jjaf231.744. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjaf231.744

4. Magro F, et al. Mirikizumab treatment decreases ulcerative colitis–related surgery and hospitalisation rates: 4-year LUCENT studies results. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. 2026;20(Suppl 1):jjaf231.1300. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjaf231.1300

5. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Group, Gastroenterology Branch of Chinese Medical Association; China Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Quality Control and Evaluation Center. Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis (2023, Xi'an). Chinese Journal of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chinese and English). 2024;08(01):33-58.

6. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Group, Gastroenterology Branch of Chinese Medical Association; China Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Quality Control and Evaluation Center. Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Crohn's Disease (2023, Guangzhou). Chinese Journal of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chinese and English). 2024, 08(01):2-32.

7. D Laharie, et al. ECCO 2026. P0563

8. D Laharie, et al. ECCO 2026. DOP003

9. Yang H, Zhou R, Bai X, et al. Trend and Geographic Variation in Incidence and Prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Regions Across China: A Nationwide Employee Study Between 2013 and 2016. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022;9:900251.

10. Shi C, et al. Therapeutic drug monitoring of biologics in inflammatory bowel disease: An evidence-based multidisciplinary guideline. Acta Pharm Sin B. 2026;16(1):616-641

11. Perera S, Yang S, Stott-Miller M, Brady J. Analysis of Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs after the Initiation of Biologic Treatment in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease. J Health Econ Outcomes Res. 2018 Sep 1;6(1):96-112. doi: 10.36469/9791. PMID: 32685575; PMCID: PMC7309948

12. Brunet-Mas E, Garcia-Sagué B, Vela E, Melcarne L, Llovet LP, Pontes C, García-Iglesias P, Puy A, Lario S, Ramirez-Lazaro MJ, Villoria A, Burisch J, Kaplan GG, Calvet X. Economic impact of inflammatory bowel disease in Catalonia: a population-based analysis. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2024 Feb 14;17:17562848231222344. doi: 10.1177/17562848231222344. PMID: 38357537; PMCID: PMC10865957.

13. Sands B, et al. Mirikizumab treatment reduces Crohn's disease–related surgery and hospitalization rates: analyzes from VIVID-1. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. 2026;20(Suppl 1):jjaf231.042. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjaf231.042