Sciclone Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SCLN)($6.79) – and its partner BTG plc (LSE: BTG), today announced,
that the China Food and Drug Administration has approved the registration of DC Bead for the embolization of malignant hypervascularized tumors.
BTG and SciClone previously entered into an agreement granting SciClone exclusive licensing and distribution rights to DC Bead in China. Under the agreement, SciClone will purchase product from BTG at a specified price for sale in China. Commercial launch plans are now underway.
Friedhelm Blobel, SciClone Chief Executive Officer commented:
“Together with our partner BTG, we will now focus our efforts on preparing for the introduction of the product in the Chinese market. Oncology is a core business focus for SciClone, and our sales team and academic marketing liaisons have established high quality relationships with the medical professionals and institutions that specialize in cancer treatment. We believe DC Bead has the potential to be a valuable addition to SciClone’s oncology product portfolio.”
Louise Makin, Chief Executive Officer at BTG, said:
“Approximately half of the world’s liver cancer patients are in China and there is a great interest among Chinese physicians to offer new, differentiated treatment options. Today’s news marks an important step toward bringing our first intervention oncology product, DC Bead, to the Chinese market where we can help address this need.”