Everest Medicines (HKG: 1952), a China-based pharmaceutical company, has announced that it has received approval in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) for its drug Velsipity (etrasimod) to be used in Foshan Fosun Chancheng Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. These medical institutions are part of the “Hong Kong-Macau Drug and Device Access” policy, which is a component of the GBA policy aimed at providing patients with access to drugs across Hong Kong, Macau, and various cities in Guangzhou.
Velsipity is a once-daily oral medication and a sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator that selectively binds to S1P receptor subtypes 1, 4, and 5. In 2017, Everest entered into a licensing agreement with Pfizer’s subsidiary Arena Pharmaceuticals, securing development rights for Velsipity in Greater China and South Korea. The drug received approval in the US for the treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC) in October of the previous year, followed by approvals in the European Union, Macau, and Singapore. Positive top-line results from an Asia-based, multi-center Phase III clinical study for Velsipity in moderate-to-severe active UC during both induction and maintenance periods were released in July this year, along with a favorable safety profile. Everest Medicines plans to submit a market filing with the National Medical Products Administration.- Flcube.com
