Everest Medicines announced that NEFECON®?, a delayed release capsule, has been successfully launched in China with the first prescription issued. The official launch of NEFECON®? marks the inception of enhanced patient care in mainland China, heralding a new era in the treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN).

China has the highest prevalence of primary glomerular diseases in the world, with IgAN accounting for about 35% to 50% of cases. Studies show that a majority of IgAN patients face the risk of progressing to end-stage renal disease during their lifetime, often requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. There is a significant unmet medical for effective treatments for IgAN patients in China and across Asia.

Present non-targeted therapies, such as renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors, fail to address the underlying disease progression. NEFECON®? has undergone a 20-year research and development process, become the first non-oncology therapeutic to receive Breakthrough Therapy Designation in China by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), and the first ever treatment for IgAN to receive full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

It is also the first approved medicine with an IgAN indication by the NMPA in China.