Vifor Pharma and China Medical System Holdings Limited sign distribution agreement

Vifor Pharma, a company of the Galenica Group, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with China Medical System Holdings Limited (CMS) – a leading Chinese pharmaceutical company – for the Vifor Pharma products Maltofer® and Uro-Vaxom®. Under the agreement, CMS will have rights to distribute the products in the People’s Republic of China, excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. CMS will also assume responsibility for registering the products in China.

The agreement is for 10 years from the date of the first commercialisation of the products in China, and will be automatically extended for a further five years if certain sales targets are met. Vifor Pharma is confident that with CMS, a company with over 17 years’ industry experience, it has chosen a partner with an in-depth understanding of the Chinese market.

Iron Deficiency (ID) and Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) is one of the most serious nutritional problems in China. The average incidence of IDA in China is 15%-20%, and currently there are at least 200 million people suffering from IDA in China. Infant, children and pregnant women are among the high risk patient groups of ID/IDA.

Maltofer® is an oral iron supplement developed by Vifor Pharma for the treatment of iron deficiency without anaemia and iron deficiency anaemia, which has been marketed globally in more than 80 countries. IMS data shows that sales of iron supplements in the Chinese market reached RMB 504.4 million in 2011, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 27.1%.

Uro-Vaxom® is an extract of the bacterium Escherichia coli for the treatment and prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections that stimulates the immune system and the body’s natural defence against urinary pathogens. Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common urinary system diseases and infectious diseases. According to statistics in China, the incidence rate of UTIs accounted for 0.91% of total population, and 2.05% of female population. E.coli is the most common pathogen that causes UTIs, accounted for 80%-90% of all the cases. Recurrent infection of lower urinary tract is very common, which seriously impact patients’ life quality. The market size of UTIs drugs in China is approximately RMB 5-5.5 billion, and the figure will increase with the rising disease awareness and the standardisation of the treatment.