Sanofi's novel drug for teen skin disease OK'd in China

An innovative targeted biological agent developed by French pharmaceutical company Sanofi was recently approved by the National Medical Products Administration to treat moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in teenagers aged 12 and above.

The company said on World AD Day on Tuesday that the drug, which was approved in China on Sept 9, aimed to help young patients relieve physical and psychological burdens.

AD is a common immunoinflammatory disease that seriously affects the health and quality of life of millions of sufferers in the country. The disease is characterized by chronic and recurrent itching and skin injuries. Many patients suffer from lasting sleeping problems and depression.

A report published last year by the China Association of Health Promotion and Education and Sanofi China showed that more than half of AD patients were below 20 when they were first diagnosed.

Guo Yifeng, deputy director of the dermatological department of Xinhua Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, said that a key negative impact brought by the disease to adolescent sufferers is that it affects their appearance and makes them less confident in socializing.

"We've encountered many teenage patients who often avoid socializing with peers and some who even suffer from depression," she said.

Doctors said that the injection avoids widespread suppression of people's immune system and is thus expected to bring revolutionary changes to the treatment of the disease.

The incidence of the disease has been rising in China, owing to a Westernized lifestyle, urbanization and industrialization, experts said.

Epidemiological investigation results showed that the incidence of AD rose from around 3 percent in 2004 to nearly 13 percent in 2014.