The 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) kicked off on November 5th, 2023. With its spillover effect, the CIIE provides a major platform for the internationalization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), to pave the way for more innovative TCM products to enter international markets for the benefit of patients worldwide.
Luye Pharma Group announced that its subsidiary Beijing Peking University WBL Biotech (WPU) signed an MoU with AstraZeneca Brazil and Brazilian company Herbarium at the CIIE on November 6th, 2023. Under the MoU, the three parties intent to bring Xuezhikang, a TCM treatment for hyperlipidemia, to the Brazilian market by facilitating its registration and commercialization in Brazil. This will help to further enhance the pharmaceutical ties between the two countries.
Exporting Xuezhikang to Brazil – the Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony
Developed by WPU, Xuezhikang is a lipid-regulating medication made from a special red yeast rice through a modern fermentation process. This product has been available in China for over two decades. It is the only natural lipid-lowering drug in China that has reached the hard endpoints for clinical benefits. In addition, a Phase II clinical study has been completed for Xuezhikang in the U.S., making it a recognized brand name for lowering lipid levels both in China and abroad.
Brazil is one of the major emerging pharmaceutical markets in the world with abundant medicinal plant resources. This makes it an ideal partner for our country in terms of promoting TCM abroad and bringing Brazil’s phytomedicines to China. When it comes to the needs of patients, cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death in Brazil. However, dyslipidemia, a major cause of cardiovascular conditions, is not well managed by many patients in the country, with only 58.3% of those on lipid-lowering medications achieving target lipid levels. The three parties look forward to introducing Xuezhikang into the Brazilian market, to serve the unmet treatment needs of local patients.
TCM internationalization is a major goal outlined in the Implementation Plan for the Major Initiative of TCM Revitalization, and is also a key subject of China’s "Go Global" strategy. Xuezhikang is China’s only natural lipid-regulating medication supported by major evidence-based research projects. Solid steps have been taken for its internationalization. Since 2019, Luye Pharma has entered into multiple agreements with AstraZeneca, including granting the latter promotional rights for this product in the Chinese Mainland and Singapore. The two parties also signed an MoU to promote Xuezhikang in other international markets, and inked a partnership agreement at this year’s CIIE to register and commercialize the medicine in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. Outside Chinese Mainland, Xuezhikang is also available in markets such as Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, and has recently been approved for marketing in Uzbekistan.
The ceremony for signing the agreement to promote Xuezhikang in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative
Yang Rongbing, President of Luye Pharma Group, noted: “I believe that the MoU signed by our WPU with AstraZeneca Brazil and Herbarium at this year’s CIIE will help to take another international market for Xuezhikang. The CIIE as a major platform provides a fast track for best foreign products to enter China, and also creates an opportunity for high-quality TCM products like Xuezhikang to enter overseas markets. Meanwhile, we will continue to accelerate the international expansion of Xuezhikang, to make it available in more countries and regions, and to make it a trusted brand name worldwide.”
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