Biopharmaceutical company UCB has announced plans of launching its innovative biological treatment to treat moderate-to-severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China. The Belgium-based firm stated that the launch of the treatment will kick off its planned expansion in the country, which is part of its wider strategy to become a major manufacturer of treatments for immune system diseases.
UCB's immunotherapy treatment, which essentially uses different substances to boost the body's natural defenses to fight diseases, has been approved in China to be used in female RA patients both during pregnancy and lactation. It is the first treatment to be approved by regulators in the country to treat adult female patients with RA.
The company's vice president and head of international markets, Taco Van Tiel, mentioned in a statement that UCB is delighted to bring its novel treatment to China. UCB's treatment using its proprietary mix of molecules was originally released over 12 years ago in Switzerland. Since then, the treatment has helped over 380,000 patients with RA around the world and it is actually now available in over 56 countries, the executive stated.
UCB hopes that its treatment will be able to provide relief to the millions of Chinese patients living with challenging chronic inflammatory conditions. The company also commended China for helping it build an active pipeline for its portfolio of treatments, which should benefit autoimmune disease sufferers in the country.
UBC China's managing director, Wu Xin, revealed that the company currently has five treatments already in the pipeline to be released in the country. The five "innovative molecules" will treat various autoimmune diseases and are apparently scheduled to be launched in China over the next five years. Two of the drugs are reportedly already in global Phase III clinical trials.
There are an estimated 5 million people in China who suffer from RA, most of which are enduring chronic joint inflammation. Women are more likely to suffer from autoimmune disease when compared to men. The most susceptible to the disease are women during their childbearing age, with most being forced to postpone starting a family as they seek treatment using traditional therapies.
According to doctors, women who do not seek proper medical treatments before and during pregnancy could suffer the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The chief physician of the department of rheumatology and immunology at China's Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Tian Xinping, warned that the adverse outcomes could include preterm birth, preeclampsia, and low birth weight.
