Zydus Lifesciences' Drug Receives Approval from China's NMPA

Zydus Lifesciences on Saturday said its innovative drug has received approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for its drug Desidustat tablets used for treating renal anaemia.

The company has licensed its Desidustat tablets to a subsidiary of China Medical System Holdings Ltd.

CMS International Development and Management Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMS, had obtained an exclusive license for the drug from Zydus in 2020.

Desidustat tablets are administered orally for treating anaemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. CKD involves the gradual loss of kidney function and eventually leads to kidney failure.

"We are encouraged by the NMPA's approval for marketing the drug in China. Our life-changing discoveries are driven by a commitment to improving patient outcomes and enabling healthier, more fulfilled lives, globally," Zydus Lifesciences MD Sharvil P Patel said in a statement.

The company is happy to partner with CMS and is confident that this will expand access to patients suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease across Greater China, he added.

Desidustat is discovered, developed and marketed by Zydus in India under the brand name Oxemia. More than 1 lakh CKD patients in India have been successfully treated with Oxemia since its launch in 2022, the drug firm stated.

There is still a large unmet need in the treatment of anaemia in CKD patients in China. It is estimated that there are more than 120 million CKD patients in China.