• The first patient had received the first dose of EVM14 injection in a global, multi-center Phase I clinical trial of Everest Medicines’ Tumor-Associated Antigen (TAA) Cancer Vaccine EVM14 at NEXT Oncology Virginia in the United States, marking an important milestone in its global clinical development.
• The primary endpoints of the EVM14 Phase I trial are safety and tolerability, with secondary endpoints evaluating preliminary efficacy. EVM14 is Everest Medicines’ first internally developed therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccine to obtain IND approvals from both China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• EVM14, an off-the-shelf therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccine, is developed based on the Company’s proprietary mRNA platform. It is designed to treat various squamous cell carcinomas, including squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sq-NSCLC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
• Patients with these cancers face limited treatment options within the current standard of care, underscoring a significant unmet medical need. As a TAA cancer vaccine, EVM14’s unique mechanism offers the potential to complement existing therapies and help delay disease recurrence, providing hope for long-term cancer-free survival.

SHANGHAI, Nov. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Everest Medicines (HKEX 1952.HK, “Everest”, or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization of innovative therapeutics, today announced that the first patient had received the first dose of EVM14 injection in a global, multi-center Phase I clinical trial of its Tumor-Associated Antigen (TAA) Cancer Vaccine EVM14 at NEXT Oncology Virginia in the United States, marking an important milestone in its clinical development globally. EVM14 is Everest Medicines’ first internally developed therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccine to obtain IND approvals from both China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

EVM14, an off-the-shelf therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccine, is developed based on the Company’s proprietary mRNA platform. It is designed to treat various squamous cell carcinomas, including squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sq-NSCLC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In the targeted cancer types, 96% of patients with sq-NSCLC and 97% of patients with HNSCC expressed at least one of the five target genes.¹ 

The EVM14 Phase I trial is a dose-escalation study with two cohorts: EVM14 monotherapy and EVM14 in combination with PD-1 monoclonal antibody. The trial enrolls patients with pathologically confirmed unresectable, advanced, recurrent, or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sq-NSCLC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), who have experienced disease progression after receiving at least two prior lines of standard systemic therapy for advanced or metastatic disease. The primary endpoints are the safety and tolerability of EVM14, with secondary endpoints assessing preliminary efficacy. Monotherapy dose escalation is expected to be completed in 2026, with initial safety and tolerability data anticipated. The participating clinical sites include NEXT Oncology Virginia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the United States, and Shanghai Chest Hospital in China.

“The first patient dosed with EVM14 in the United States marks an important milestone in translating Everest’s internally developed therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccine from technological innovation into clinical development. With IND approval also secured in China, we will accelerate clinical progress in both the U.S. and China to build a more robust global evidence base for EVM14’s clinical value,” said Rogers Yongqing Luo, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines. “Patients face limited treatment options with the current standard of care, underscoring a significant unmet medical need. As a TAA cancer vaccine, EVM14’s unique mechanism has the potential to complement existing treatments and help delay disease recurrence, offering hope for long-term cancer-free survival. We look forward to seeing this innovative therapy demonstrate promising potential in upcoming clinical trials, driving breakthroughs in cancer treatment and bringing new hope to patients worldwide.”

In preclinical studies, EVM14 induced a dose-dependent antigen-specific immune response in mice and significantly inhibited tumor growth in multiple syngeneic tumor models. Notably, EVM14 demonstrated the ability to induce immune memory and prevent tumor recurrence, offering hope for long-term cancer-free survival. Furthermore, preclinical data demonstrated that the combination of EVM14 with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as anti-PD-1 or anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, greatly enhanced the anti-tumor activity, reduced recurrence, and supports clinical exploration of combination therapies.

Everest Medicines continues to focus on achieving key breakthroughs in its core proprietary pipeline while accelerating the clinical development and global expansion of innovative assets with global rights. Leveraging its industry-leading mRNA therapeutic cancer vaccine platform, the Company is building a globally competitive R&D pipeline.

EVM 14 injection used in this trial was manufactured at Jiashan manufacturing site with the Company’s proprietary mRNA platform and in full compliance with global GMP standards. This demonstrates the Company’s end-to-end capabilities across the entire mRNA value chain, from proprietary antigen design, LNP delivery system, CMC process development to in-house manufacturing, laying a solid foundation for future pipeline advancement and commercialization.

Reference:

1. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data

About EVM14

EVM14 Injection is a preservative-free, sterile mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (mRNA-LNP) cancer vaccine. It is formulated with mRNA solution encoding 5 tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), encapsulated in a lipid nanoparticle system. After intramuscular injection, EVM14 is taken up by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and translated into target antigens. These antigens are processed, presented to T cells by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and activated antigen-specific T cells. The activated T cells can migrate to tumor tissues, recognize, and kill the tumor cells expressing the target antigens.

About Everest Medicines

Everest Medicines is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products and vaccines that address critical unmet medical needs for patients in global markets. The management team of Everest Medicines has deep expertise and an extensive track record from both leading global pharmaceutical companies and local Chinese pharmaceutical companies in high-quality discovery, clinical development, regulatory affairs, CMC, business development and operations. Everest Medicines has built a portfolio of potentially global first-in-class or best-in-class molecules in the company’s core therapeutic areas of renal diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders and ophthalmic diseases. For more information, please visit its website at www.everestmedicines.com. 

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may make statements that constitute forward-looking statements, including descriptions regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company or its officers with respect to the business operations and financial condition of the Company, which can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, or other factors, some of which are beyond the control of the Company and are unforeseeable. Therefore, the actual results may differ from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and assumptions, such as future changes and developments in our business, competitive environment, political, economic, legal and social conditions. The Company or any of its affiliates, directors, officers, advisors or representatives has no obligation and does not undertake to revise forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — According to a report by Xinhuanet:

On November 13, the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum China-Africa Partnership Conference got underway in Johannesburg, South Africa. A representative from China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. (CSG) was invited to address the “Global South Talks” session during the opening ceremony, sharing the company’s on-the-ground experience in power-grid cooperation with countries across the Global South.

Sun Shengjun, Project General Manager of the Africa and Europe Regional Development Department at China Southern Power Grid International, described CSG’s experience and efforts to deepen China–Africa energy ties in Cairo, Egypt. In 2023, Sun and his team arrived in Cairo to address chronic problems in the local power grid, including high line losses and poor operating performance. They progressively introduced CSG’s operational measures for cutting distribution network losses and rolled out practical, scalable and replicable “CSG Solutions” for the local utility. In addition to its technical efforts, CSG has focused on developing a skilled local workforce through targeted training programs and technical knowledge-sharing sessions. By matching its technology to on-the-ground operating realities and investing in workforce training, the company has sought to align its mature technical systems with local needs while fostering homegrown technical capabilities, laying the groundwork for long-term engagement.

Sun said that CSG does not regard energy cooperation as a one-way street, but as a partnership rooted in mutual benefit and shared growth. Looking ahead, the company says it will continue to provide its technologies and management expertise to Global South countries, aimed at deepening China–Africa energy cooperation and supporting plans for broader collaboration across the Global South.