Everest Medicines (HKG: 1952), a China-based pharmaceutical company, has announced that the regulatory authority in Macau has approved the New Drug Application (NDA) for Velsipity (etrasimod) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe active ulcerative colitis (UC). This makes Macau the first region in Everest’s licensed territory in Asia to grant approval for the drug.
Velsipity is a once-daily oral medication classified as a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator, which selectively binds to S1P receptor subtypes 1, 4, and 5. It has been designed to provide targeted treatment for patients suffering from UC. The drug received approval in the United States for the same indication in October of the previous year and was subsequently granted marketing approval by the European Union in February of this year.
Everest Medicines has submitted regulatory applications for Velsipity in UC across various markets, including additional EU countries, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Russia, Switzerland, and Singapore. The company secured the development and commercialization rights for Velsipity in Greater China and South Korea through a licensing agreement with Pfizer’s subsidiary Arena Pharmaceuticals in 2017.- Flcube.com
