New gene therapy drug approved for use in China

Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda and domestic biotech company Belief BioMed jointly announced on Thursday that the gene therapy drug Dalnacogene Ponparvovec Injection has received approval from China's National Medical Products Administration for the treatment of moderate to severe hemophilia B in adult patients, marking the first approved gene therapy drug for the disease in the country.

This innovative injection was developed and produced by Belief BioMed, while Takeda China is responsible for its commercialization on the Chinese mainland as well as Hong Kong and Macao. The two parties will leverage their respective strengths to accelerate the provision of this gene therapy to patients and jointly explore new frontiers in hemophilia B treatment.

Sean Shan, senior vice-president of Takeda Pharmaceutical and president of Takeda China, said, "Takeda is honored to collaborate with Belief BioMed to efficiently commercialize the first locally developed gene therapy drug to treat this disease. This approval will further enrich Takeda China's strategic layout and product matrix in the rare disease field".

Looking ahead, Takeda China will continue to deepen its strategic cooperation with local partners to expedite the R&D and commercialization of more breakthrough therapies, ensuring that Chinese innovations benefit more patients and contributing to the high-quality development of rare disease care in China, Shan said.

Xiao Xiao, co-founder, chairman and chief science officer of Belief BioMed, said the company aims to advance the commercialization of this research achievement overseas, with a goal of benefiting a larger population of patients afflicted by the disease.

Hemophilia B is an inherited bleeding disorder, traditionally managed through the administration of prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) or Factor IX as a replacement therapy, requiring lifelong frequent intravenous injections. The continuous risk of bleeding can lead to damage to joint structure and function, resulting in a high disability rate.

Professor Zhang Lei from the Blood Disease Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, who was also the leading investigator of the drug's registration clinical trials, said the approval of the therapy brings revolutionary hope to Chinese patients suffering from the disease.

"By receiving a single dosing, patients will have a reduced risk of bleeding and joint damage, and they can potentially overcome the burden of lifelong frequent intravenous injections," said Zhang.

"We believe that with continuous breakthroughs in scientific research and the accumulation of clinical experience, the treatment of hemophilia will enter a new era, offering patients a higher quality of life," he said.