China gets 1st independently-developed drug for colon cancer

Hutchison MediPharma, a bio-pharmaceutical company in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, develops fruquintinib capsules, China's first independently-developed drug for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. [Photo/WeChat account: zjpark]

The National Medical Products Administration announced on Sept 5 that fruquintinib capsules, China's first independently-developed drug for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, has been approved to be put on the market.

The drug was developed by Hutchison MediPharma, an innovative bio-pharmaceutical company located at the Zhangjiang Pharma Valley in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai.

Metastatic colorectal cancer is a common cancer type in China, with about 380,000 new cases per year. Most patients are in the middle or late periods of the disease when they are diagnosed.

Su Weiguo, executive director and chief scientific officer of Hutchison MediPharma, said that the drug brings hope to metastatic colorectal cancer patients who have failed at least two prior systemic antineoplastic therapies.

Su also added that multiple other clinical trials are being conducted to find out the possibility of using fruquintinib to treat lung cancer and gastric cancer.

Zhangjiang Pharma Valley, a core part of the Shanghai National Biomedicine Industrial Base, has been home to a large number of Chinese and foreign-funded companies, research institute, and related service agencies in the life science sector.

It has also formed a complete industrial chain covering drug R&D, drug screening, pharmacological effects evaluation, clinical research, test, registration and authentication, production and marketing.

Su Weiguo, executive director and chief scientific officer of Hutchison MediPharma, says that the drug brings hope to metastatic colorectal cancer patients. [Photo/hmplglobal.com]