HENLIUS (SEHK: 02696) shares experienced a significant rise of nearly 12% during the morning trading session.

At the time of reporting, the stock was up 7.07%, trading at HK$68.95 with a turnover of HK$52.73 million.

The upward movement follows a company announcement regarding its product, HANSIZHUANG® (serplulimab, European brand name: Hetronifly®).

According to the announcement from Henlius, its partner Accord Healthcare UK has confirmed that the drug has received a recommendation from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

This recommendation formally includes the medication within the routine clinical use scope of England and Wales' National Health Service (NHS) reimbursement system.

With the finalization of the NICE recommendation and completion of the NHS listing process, HANSIZHUANG® has become the first anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody approved by NICE for the treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in England and Wales.

Serplulimab is an immunotherapy drug that functions by aiding the body's own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.

The drug had previously received approval from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), marking it as the first anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody approved in the UK for ES-SCLC treatment.