Treatment to assist in fighting liver cancer approved by China FDA

Specialist healthcare company BTG plc and its partner SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a China-focused specialty pharmaceutical company have announced the approval for registration of its DC Bead  treatment for embolisation of malignant hypervascularised tumour by the China Food and Drug Administration. It is an embolic bead delivered through a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure to block the blood flow to tumours

BTG and SciClone previously entered into an agreement granting SciClone exclusive licensing and distribution rights to DC Bead^® in China. Under the agreement, SciClone will purchase product from BTG at a specified price for sale in China. Commercial launch plans are now underway.

Louise Makin, Chief Executive Officer at BTG, said: “Approximately half of the world’s liver cancer patients are in China and there is a great interest among Chinese physicians to offer new, differentiated treatment options. Today’s news marks an important step toward bringing our first interventional oncology product, DC Bead^®, to the Chinese market where we can help address this need.”

Friedhelm Blobel, SciClone Chief Executive Officer commented: “Together with our partner BTG, we will now focus our efforts on preparing for the introduction of the product in the Chinese market. Oncology is a core business focus for SciClone, and our sales team and academic marketing liaisons have established high quality relationships with the medical professionals and institutions that specialize in cancer treatment. We believe DC Bead^® has the potential to be a valuable addition to SciClone’s oncology product portfolio.”