Ascletis Announces Cooperation with China Meheco International Co., Ltd. in Distribution of Its Ritonavir Tablets in Chinese Mainland

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Apr 13, 2022, 09:00 ET

HANGZHOU, China and SHAOXING, China, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX: 1672, "Ascletis") today announces that Ascletis Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. ("Ascletis Pharmaceuticals") has signed an agreement with China Meheco International Co., Ltd. for distribution of its ritonavir tablets in Chinese mainland. Ascletis Pharmaceuticals is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ascletis, and China Meheco International Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Meheco Group Co., Ltd. ("China Meheco").

Ritonavir tablet is a pharmacokinetic booster of multiple oral antiviral drugs targeting viral proteases. Ascletis owns the only authorized ritonavir tablet in China, which has passed bioequivalence study. Ascletis' ritonavir tablet was approved in September 2021 by China National Medical Products Administration (国药准字H20213698).

Ascletis has submitted marketing authorization applications for ritonavir (100 mg film-coated tablet) in 12 European countries (Germany, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark) and Hong Kong, China.

Yadong Li, Chairman and Secretary of the Party Committee of China Meheco, said, "As the national team in the medical industry in China, China Meheco committed to its original mission of 'safeguarding people's health'. By this opportunity, we hope to explore various levels of cooperation with biotech companies in China such as Ascletis. Together, we contribute to 'Healthy China 2030'."

Dr. Jinzi J. Wu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ascletis, said, "It's a great honor to cooperate with China Meheco in commercialization of ritonavir tablets. China Meheco, as a leading distributor of pharmaceuticals in China, boasts nationwide sales network of antiviral drugs. Ascletis' ritonavir tablet, one of the marketed products of our antiviral pipeline, is the only authorized ritonavir tablet in China that has passed bioequivalence study. We are looking forward to the cooperation with China Meheco. With Ascletis' product and China Meheco's network, we will shoulder the social responsibilities of eliminating infectious diseases."

All-oral direct anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) ASCLEVIR^® (Ravidasvir)/ GANOVO^® (Danoprevir) regimen is Ascletis' another marketed antiviral product, included in the Medicine Catalog for National Basic Medical Insurance, Work-Related Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance (2021).

Ascletis' antiviral pipelines also include drug candidates for functional cure of Chronic Hepatitis B(CHB) and AIDS.

About China Meheco

China Meheco Group Co., Ltd. is a state-holding company listed at Shanghai Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 600056). China Meheco is dedicated to the promotion of the development of pharmaceutical industry and human health, endeavoring to become a flagship pharmaceutical enterprise in China. China Meheco has established a comprehensive business framework that is guided by international trade, supported by pharmaceutical manufacture and coordinated by pharmaceutical commerce. Its business scope fully covers the whole industry chain, from cultivation & processing, R&D, manufacturing, distribution, logistics to international trading, academic promotion and technical service etc. According to authoritative industry ranking, China Meheco ranked No.35 in China Top 100 Pharmaceutical Companies 2020, and the China Meheco-Chongqing Pharmaceuticals joint venture ranked No.5 in China Top 100 Pharmaceutical Wholesale and Distribution Companies 2020.

About Ascletis

Ascletis is an innovative R&D driven biotech listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (1672.HK), a global platform covering the entire value chain from discovery and development to manufacturing and commercialization. Ascletis is committed to developing and commercializing innovative drugs in the areas of viral diseases, NASH/PBC, and cancer (oral cancer metabolic checkpoint and immune checkpoint inhibitors) to address unmet medical needs both in China and globally. Led by a management team with deep expertise and a proven track record, Ascletis targets those therapeutic areas with unmet medical needs from a global perspective, and efficiently advances the developments of pipelines with an aim of leading in global competition. To date, Ascletis has three marketed products and 20 robust R&D pipelines of drug candidates with global competitiveness, and is actively exploring new therapeutic areas.

1. Viral Diseases: (1) Hepatitis B Virus (functional cure): focus on breakthrough therapies for CHB functional cure with a subcutaneously-injected PD-L1 antibody – ASC22 and Pegasys^® as cornerstone drugs. (2) COVID-19 pipeline: currently includes (i) ritonavir oral tablet (100 mg), an authorized product, (ii) ASC10, an oral RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor and (iii) ASC11, an oral 3-chymotrypsin like protease (3CLpro) inhibitor. (3) HIV/AIDS: ASC22, an immune therapy to restore HIV-specific immune responses and eventually lead to a functional cure of HIV-infected patients. (4) Hepatitis C: successfully launched an all-oral regimen of combining ASCLEVIR^® and GANOVO^® (RDV/DNV regimen).
2. Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis/Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Gannex, a wholly-owned company of Ascletis, is dedicated to the R&D and commercialization of new drugs in the field of NASH. Gannex has three clinical stage drug candidates against three different targets – FASN, THRβ and FXR, three fixed-dose combinations for NASH and one PBC program targeting FXR.
3. Cancer (oral cancer metabolic checkpoint and immune checkpoint inhibitors): a pipeline of oral inhibitors targeting FASN, which plays a key role in cancer lipid metabolism, and a pipeline of oral PD-L1 small molecule next generation immune checkpoint inhibitors.
4. Exploratory Indications: Acne: Following NASH and recurrent GBM, the third indication for ASC40 has been approved to enter Phase 2 clinical trial. For more information, please visit www.ascletis.com.

SOURCE Ascletis Pharma Inc.