Pfizer bets on China’s GLP-1 drug market

Pfizer has signed a licensing agreement with China-based Sciwind Biosciences for its type 2 diabetes treatment ecnoglutide, in a deal that could generate up to $495 million in milestone payments.

Sciwind said the agreement marks “an important first step to advance Pfizer's global strategy in the metabolic field in China,” according to a statement published on the company’s website, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Ecnoglutide is an injectable drug belonging to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class, a category that helps regulate blood sugar levels while promoting a feeling of fullness. The segment has attracted major investment from global pharmaceutical companies including Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Innovent Biologics and Guangzhou Innogen.

In December, Pfizer also licensed an experimental GLP-1 treatment from another Chinese drugmaker, reinforcing its push into the fast-growing metabolic disease market.

Ecnoglutide received regulatory approval in China in January. Sciwind has additionally submitted an application to market an experimental version of the drug for weight management in the country.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sciwind will receive an upfront payment — the value of which has not been disclosed — along with additional payments tied to regulatory approvals and sales milestones. The partnership covers the commercialization of ecnoglutide in mainland China.

A Pfizer spokesperson declined to comment on the size of the upfront payment, the timeline for the drug’s launch or its pricing.

Unlike Ozempic, Mounjaro and Innogen’s efsubaglutide alfa, ecnoglutide will not be included in China’s state-run health insurance scheme for type 2 diabetes treatment.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev