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China Coronavirus Cases Up Sharply As Pharma Rushes To Aid

Kaletra Finding Off-Label Use

 
• By Brian Yang

AbbVie’s HIV therapy Kaletra is now being used by the Chinese government to treat coronavirus-infected patients after a respiratory expert endorsed its use, while other pharma companies from Bayer to Innovent are showering support as China battles its worst virus outbreak since the SARS epidemic 17 years ago.

STAFF WEARING MASKS CHECK PASSENGER TEMPERATURE AT BEIJING SUBWAY ON JAN, 28, 2020
STAFF SCREEN PASSENGERS AT A BEIJING SUBWAY STATION • Source: Scrip

US pharma major AbbVie Inc.'s HIV combination drug Kaletra(lopinavir and ritonavir), in combination with nebulized alpha-interferon, is being used by the Chinese government to treat patients with the new 2019-nCoV coronavirus.

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More from China

Henlius In David Versus Goliath Race With Pfizer For First PD-L1 ADC

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

While Henlius Biotech’s PD-L1-targeting antibody-drug conjugate HLX43 is struggling to catch up with Pfizer’s PF-08046054, the global frontrunner in the space, a key differentiation of the China-originated asset could lie in PD-L1-negative patients.

Will China’s Retaliatory Tariffs Galvanize Manufacturing Onshoring?

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

China’s imposed large retaliatory tariffs on US pharmaceuticals on 10 April, but some domestic firms with in-licensed, US-origin assets were already moving to localized manufacturing.

New Data Strengthen Case For RemeGen’s Telitacicept In gMG

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

Results from a China Phase III trial show the potential of RemeGen's fusion protein telitacicept in generalized myasthenia gravis. But study design differences make direct comparisons with argenx's FcRn inhibitor Vyvgart challenging.

China Deal-Making Matures As Foreign Partners Derisk Asset Acquisition

 
• By Xu Hu

Chinese biopharma companies’ alliance strategies are transitioning from immediate cash needs to more strategic management of portfolios, as MNCs continue to hunt for derisked assets.

More from Focus On Asia

AstraZeneca Logs Japan Growth Despite Price Cuts

 
• By Lisa Takagi

AstraZeneca logs growth in Japan despite a big reimbursement price cut for one of its top sellers and expects 40 approvals in the country over the next six years.

Korean Biotech Roundup: GNT Set For First Direct Korean Biopharma IPO On Nasdaq

 
• By Jung Won Shin

GNT Pharma prepares for the first listing of a Korean biotech on Nasdaq, while others sign major global out-licensing deals with large multinational partners.

US Tariffs And Manufacturing Concentration: Double-Edged Sword?

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

India and the US are the major manufacturers of finished dosages for the US market in terms of volume (China accounts for 9% of injectables), though the US relies heavily on India for solid oral dosage forms and specific generics, including lenalidomide and albuterol. Scrip talks to experts on some of the key implications of geographic concentration of production for the US market amid the specter of tariffs.