LONDON (Alliance News) - Healthcare company BTG PLC Thursday said Chinese regulators have approved the registration of the DC Bead liver cancer treatment it will distribute through Chinese partner SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc.
In a statement, the companies said the China Food and Drug Administration has approved the registration of DC Bead for the embolisation of malignant hypervascularised tumours.
BTG and SciClone signed a deal granting SciClone exclusive licensing and distribution rights to DC Bead in China. SciClone will buy product from BTG at a specified price for sale in China.
Commercial launch plans are now underway, the companies said.
DC Bead is a novel treatment for liver cancer which is currently approved in 40 countries worldwide, including Europe. It's an embolic bead delivered through a non-surgical procedure to block the blood flow to tumours.
The registration in China is for the embolisation of malignant hypervascularised tumours such as hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer. The majority of people with HCC have cirrhosis, usually from chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection, or chronic alcoholism. Because of the country's high incidence of hepatitis, China accounts for approximately one-half of the world's liver cancer cases and more than 350,000 people dying from primary liver cancer in China annual, the companies said.
By Steve McGrath; stevemcgrath@alliancenews.com; @SteveMcGrath1
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