Pharmaceutical Business review

Yantai Luye, Chengdu Biostar partner to market anticancer drug in mainland China

Yantai Luye Drugs Trading signs collaboration agreement with Chengdu Biostar Pharmaceuticals. Credit: Luye Pharma Group.

Utidelone Injection, developed by Beijing Biostar Pharmaceuticals, is a new natural microbial small-molecule anticancer drug that is a genetically engineered epothilone derivative.

It is a new non- taxane anticancer agent that targets microtubule polymerisation.

As part of the collaboration, the companies will work together to promote the drug in 26 provinces across Chinese mainland.

Last year, the National Medical Products Administration in China has approved for marketing the Utidelone Injection to treat recurrent or metastatic advanced breast cancer patients.

Luye Pharma stated that the Utidelone Injection has been included in the Guidelines for Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Advanced Breast Cancer in China (the 2020 Edition).

It has also been included in the Guidelines of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) for Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer (the 2021 Edition).

Luye Pharma Group president Yang Rongbing said: “Following the ‘patient-first’ philosophy, Luye Pharma is committed to addressing the unmet needs of patients. Oncology is one of our long-term strategic focuses.

“We hope to help as many cancer patients as possible by increasing the breadth and depth of market coverage for Utidelone.

“This drug will help to supplement Luye Pharma’s oncology portfolio and increase the company’s strategic edge in this field.”

Additionally, the Utidelone is being evaluated in clinical studies for many new indications that include treatment of many advanced solid tumours like gastrointestinal cancers, head and neck cancers, non-small cell lung cancer, and gynaecological cancers.