On September 26,2022, Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Company Limited (3692.HK) ("Hansoh Pharma") and KiOmed Pharma SA ("KiOmed") of Belgium jointly announced that they had reached an exclusive license agreement for the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of KiOmedinevsOne, an innovative product under development by KiOmed, within China's mainland, Macau and Taiwan.
Pursuant to the agreement, Hansoh Pharma will obtain an exclusive license to develop, register and commercialize KiOmedinevsOne for osteoarthritis-related indications in the licensed territory and will pay an upfront payment and potential payments upon reaching development, regulatory and sales-based commercial milestones of up to EUR66 million, plus double digit tiered royalties on future net product sales.
KiOmedinevsOne is a new-generation single injection for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis based on world-first exclusive animal free KiOmedine CM-Chitosan. KiOmedine CM-Chitosan is a highly purified polysaccharide derived from Agaricus Bisporus (button mushroom) and a patented technology made in Belgium. Different from hyaluronic acid, the standard treatment for osteoarthritis, KiOmedinevsOne has dual mechanism of action to tackle osteoarthritis discomfort and other symptoms by reducing oxidative stress and enhancing joint lubrication. Clinical studies have shown that after a single injection of KiOmedinevsOne, significant pain reduction was observed within 2 weeks and the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score was reduced by 66%, with a long-lasting osteoarthritis symptom reduction for at least 6 months. KiOmedinevsOne has been granted the CE mark and launched in Europe in 2021.
Osteoarthritis is a clinically common disabling disease, affecting about 250 million people worldwide, and the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis accounts for about 85% of osteoarthritis [1]. According to epidemiological survey, the prevalence rate of knee osteoarthritis in China is 8.1%, which is much higher in women than in men [2]. As China enters an aging society, the number of patients with osteoarthritis will increase significantly. While there is still a long-term lack of safe and effective treatment methods in clinical practice, KiOmedinevsOne is expected to further meet the huge unmet clinical demand in China.
"We are pleased to partner with KiOmed, a leader and expert in natural chitosan products." Ms. Sun Yuan, Executive Director of Hansoh Pharma, remarked, "Osteoarthritis seriously affects the quality of life of patients and brings heavy disease burden to their families and society. We are excited to see that KiOmedinevsOne has shown great potential for convenient and effective clinical treatment of osteoarthritis and look forward to more meaningful clinical benefits for Chinese patients from this differentiated and innovative product."
"We are pleased to partner with Hansoh Pharma, a leading innovation-driven pharmaceutical company in China." Mr. François Blondel, Founder and Executive Chairman of KiOmed, remarked, "KiOmedinevsOne has shown superior long-lasting therapeutic and safety benefits in the treatment of osteoarthritis, as demonstrated in multiple European regions. We believe that with Hansoh Pharma's proven development and commercialization experience in Greater China, we will be able to bring KiOmedinevsOne to the vast number of osteoarthritis patients in China as soon as possible."
About Hansoh Pharma
Founded in 1995, Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Company Limited, the main business entity of Hansoh Pharma, is a leading innovation-driven pharmaceutical company in China. Adhering to the corporate mission to create excellence in pharmaceuticals and enhance innovation in China, Hansoh Pharma focuses on the treatment of oncology, infection, CNS, metabolism and autoimmunity diseases, and is committed to improving human health through continuous innovation. Up to now, Hansoh Pharma has marketed six innovative drugs and formed a rich pipeline, ranked among the top 30 of China's Top 100 Companies in Pharmaceutical Industry and the top 3 of China's Best Industrial Enterprises in Pharmaceutical R&D Pipeline for consecutive years. It is a national key high-tech enterprise and national technology innovation demonstration enterprise. Hansoh Pharma went public on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Ltd. in June 2019 (SEHK: 3692).
About KiOmed Pharma
Based in Belgium, KiOmed Pharma SA is a global leader in the development, production and marketing of natural (non-animal-derived) chitosan, with a proprietary technology and innovative technology platform for ultra-pure natural (non-animal-derived) chitosan derivatives. The company develops a unique pipeline of medical devices that address unmet medical needs in high impact pathologies and major social burdens such as osteoarthritis, skin aging and ophthalmology.
[1] Tan Xinfang, Guo Yanxing. Research progress on predisposing factors of knee osteoarthritis. Rheumatology and Arthritis, 2022, 11(1):60-64.
[2] Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteoarthritis (2018 Edition)
