GSK Plans To Shift Part Of Relenza Manufacturing To China

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) seeks to shift a part of its Relenza drug manufacturing operations to China. The company’s strategic intent is to make available its flu drug, Relenza to a wider market segment in the country, reported China Daily.

Andrew Witty, chief executive of GSK, said: “I hope that we will be able to shift some Relenza manufacture to China to make our products more accessible in the country.”

GSK entered into an agreement with Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong in June for developing flu for the Chinese market. In September, the drug received State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) approval for domestic sales for flu virus.

Mr. Witty, commenting on the JV, said: “The joint venture with Neptunus, which focuses on flu vaccines will hopefully in the future create greater domestic capability.”

Moreover, in October, the company also sealed a joint venture with Yunnan Walvax Biotech, under which it will launch a new company with an initial investment of yuan 451m. The new entity will manufacture vaccines for kids.

Mr. Witty continued: “The company is enhancing its investment in China by increasing the amount of R&D investment and employing more people to work with hospitals, apart from forging partnerships with local companies. The company is now putting more emphasis on its vaccine and consumer goods businesses and focusing on emerging markets like China, Brazil and Russia,” quoted the newspaper.