China Approves Felzartamab for Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma

This is a combination-treatment approval rather than an approval for felzartamab as a standalone therapy. The provided sources do not specify additional approved combinations or patient groups.

How felzartamab works

Felzartamab is a human monoclonal antibody directed at CD38. CD38 is a surface protein expressed on plasma cells, including malignant plasma cells involved in multiple myeloma. By targeting this protein, the drug is designed to direct treatment toward CD38-expressing cells.

The available approval reports identify felzartamab’s CD38 target and antibody class but do not provide enough detail here to characterize the full downstream cell-killing mechanism or compare its clinical performance with other CD38-directed therapies.

Why the approval matters globally

The China decision is significant because it is reported as felzartamab’s first regulatory approval anywhere in the world, not simply its first approval in China.

It also moves the medicine from development into commercial preparation in Greater China. TJ Biopharma had submitted the biologics license application to the NMPA, and the company has described manufacturing capability at its GMP facility in Hangzhou.

The approval follows an April 2026 agreement under which Biogen acquired TJ Biopharma’s exclusive rights in Greater China. That transaction consolidated felzartamab’s worldwide development and commercialization rights under Biogen.

Who developed felzartamab?

The product was initially developed by MorphoSys AG, now MorphoSys GmbH under Novartis, according to the companies’ China announcement. TJ Biopharma subsequently held exclusive development and commercialization rights for Greater China before transferring those rights to Biogen.

The commercial structure therefore involves several distinct roles:

• Original developer: MorphoSys AG, now MorphoSys GmbH under Novartis.
• Current worldwide rights holder: Biogen, which acquired TJ Biopharma’s Greater China rights and now holds exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights.
• Greater China commercializer: Biogen.
• Greater China commercial supplier: TJ Biopharma, which says it will supply product for commercialization through its Hangzhou GMP facility.

What remains unclear about manufacturing

The public information supports a specific China arrangement: Biogen handles commercialization in Greater China, while TJ Biopharma supplies product for that commercial effort.

It does not establish a fully detailed worldwide manufacturing or supply allocation. Some reports describe Biogen as assuming manufacturing responsibility in Greater China, while the later approval announcement identifies TJ Biopharma as the commercial-supply party.

The safest conclusion is that TJ Biopharma has a documented role in supplying felzartamab for commercialization in Greater China, but the available sources do not support saying that TJ manufactures or supplies the drug globally. Biogen’s worldwide rights cover development and commercialization; they should not automatically be read as proof that Biogen will physically manufacture every future supply of the medicine.

Bottom line

Felzartamab’s first global approval authorizes JINGFEI with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for previously treated adults with multiple myeloma. The drug is a CD38-targeting human monoclonal antibody, Biogen now controls worldwide development and commercialization, and TJ Biopharma retains the disclosed Greater China commercial-supply role.