Chinese Pharmas Develop Generic Of GSK’s Relenza
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
A pair of Chinese pharmaceutical companies and a team of scientists report success in developing a way to produce Relenza (zanamivir) locally for treating avian influenza. U.K.-based GlaxoSmithKline had licensed the drug to Materia Medica and Nanjing Effact Pharm Drug Development, but did not supply the technology, relying on them to reproduce the drug. The China-made version has received permission to undergo clinical trials. Roche, which makes the rival bird flu drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir), has granted licenses to two other Chinese pharmas to make generics. (Click here for more