GSK Partners With SBP to Speed Up China Rollout of Hepatitis Drug

By Adria Calatayud

GSK said it entered into a collaboration agreement with Sino Biopharmaceutical to accelerate the rollout of its hepatitis B drug bepirovirsen at launch in China.

Under the deal, GSK will sell bepirovirsen to SBP subsidiary Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group for an initial term of 5.5 years that might be extended, and gain the ability to review certain early-stage drug candidates from the Chinese company for potential collaboration opportunities, the U.K. drugmaker said Monday.

The agreement makes CTTQ responsible for importation, distribution, hospital access, and promotional activities for bepirovirsen in China, GSK said. GSK will book sales of bepirovirsen supplied to CTTQ, remain the marketing-authorization holder for the drug and be responsible for regulatory, quality and global medical strategy, it added.

GSK said the collaboration will help it leverage CTTQ's commercial footprint for hepatitis B in China, giving the drug access to more than 5,000 medical centers at launch.

The British pharma group obtained a breakthrough therapy designation in China in 2021 for bepirovirsen, which was accepted for priority review in the country last month.

Write to Adria Calatayud at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

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