Chinese specialty pharmaceutical company Eddingpharm is collaborating with GlaxoSmithKline China (GSK) to acquire from GSK the exclusive right in mainland China to import, market, promote, distribute, and sell Tykerb, a treatment for advanced or metastatic breast cancer that was recently approved by the China State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

Tykerb (also known as lapatinib ditosylate, or under the trade name lapatinib) is a small molecular reversible inhibitor of tyrosine kinase (TKI) with effective absorption upon oral administration. It is used, in combination with capecitabine, another cancer drug, for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose tumors overexpress HER2 and who have received prior therapy with an anthracycline, a taxane, and trastuzumab. To date, Tykerb has been approved for the same indication in more than 100 countries; it was approved by the FDA in March of 2007.

“This cooperation with GSK on Tykerb is not only a milestone of Eddingpharm’s business development history, but also an important milestone of China’s pharmaceutical industry,” Xin Ni, chairman and CEO of Eddingpharm, said. “This is the first time a Chinese pharmaceutical company will participate in the launch of a proprietary global oncology drug.”

He added, “This partnership with GSK helps us fully leverage our rich market experience and mature marketing platforms to open a fast track for Tykerb’s China launch.”

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