Merck signs major deal with China’s Simcere
pharmafile | July 21, 2011 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Merck, Simcere, emerging markets
Merck is to establish a joint venture with China’s Simcere focused on serving China’s rapidly expanding health care needs by providing significantly improved access to quality medicines in major therapeutic areas.
The companies announced the partnership at a signing ceremony at Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New J. with Richard Clark, Merck chairman, Adam Schechter, president, Merck Global Human Health, Michel Vounatsos, president, MSD in China, Mr. Jinsheng Ren, chairman and chief executive of Simcere, and Dr. Yehong Zhang, president, Simcere.
Zhijun Luo, secretary of China’s Jiangsu Provincial Committee, presided over the signing ceremony.
The companies will form a strategic partnership in drug development, drug approval, manufacturing and sales capabilities. The initial focus of the partnership will be branded pharmaceutical products for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
The partnership will offer a combined portfolio of selected medicines from both companies, including Zocor (simvastatin), Cozaar (losartan) and Renitec (enalapril) by Merck/MSD, and Xinta (levamlodipine) and Shufutan (rosuvastatin) by Simcere. In the metabolic disease area, the partnership will work to maximize access in China to sitagliptin, a DPP-IV inhibitor for the treatment of type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is increasingly recognized as a significant public health threat in China.
Merck is proud to partner with Simcere, one of China’s leading pharmaceutical companies and an organization that shares Merck’s commitment to enhancing health care in China,” said Mr. Schechter. “This partnership is another step forward in Merck’s strategy to grow our business in China and is fully aligned with the Chinese government’s goal to increase access to quality products.”
Mr. Ren. This innovative partnership seeks to address the enormous challenges of the Chinese healthcare system and address the needs of Chinese patients and health care stakeholders.”
“This partnership between Simcere and Merck is not only strategically significant for both organizations, but also a landmark event for Jiangsu’s biopharmaceutical industry,” said Mr. Luo. “Biopharmaceuticals is an emerging industry of strategic importance for Jiangsu Province and this partnership will bring additional momentum to the development of this industry. It will help Jiangsu in providing more quality pharmaceuticals to China and the world.”
Simcere
Founded in 1995, Simcere Pharmaceutical Group has grown rapidly by selling branded generic and proprietary pharmaceuticals in China, and by acquiring numerous other companies in the country.
Recent years has seen Simcere begin to invest in developing innovative pharmaceuticals and first-to-market generics, and it has introduced its own patented cancer treatment Endu, a first-to-market medication Sinofuan, and first-to-market generics such as Bicun and Anxin.
Simcere manufactures and sells anti-infective medication, cancer treatments and stroke management medication. The company’s R&D is focused on diseases with high incidence and/or mortality rates and for which there is a clear demand for more effective treatments such as cancer, strokes, orthopaedics and infectious diseases.
Related Content
Merck to acquire Curon Biopharmaceutical’s B-Cell Depletion Therapy
Merck have announced that they have entered into an agreement with private biotechnology company Curon …
Merck and Daiichi Sankyo expand development and commericalisation agreement to include MK-6070
Daiichi Sankyo and Merck (known as MSD outside of the US and Canada) have announced …
CHMP gives positive opinion for Merck’s KEYTRUDA for unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma
Merck (known as MSD outside of the US and Canada) has announced that its anti-PD-1 …
