Ascletis and Roche enter exclusive Pegasys partnership in China for viral Hepatitis

SHANGHAI, HANGZHOU and SHAOXING, China, Nov. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Roche) and Ascletis BioScience Co., Ltd. (Ascletis, listed parent company stock code 1672.HK) jointly announce that starting from 1st Dec 2018, Ascletis and Roche will expand their partnership in viral Hepatitis. Following the first successful partnership and promising launch for Ganovo (Danoprevir), Ascletis and Roche have decided to embark on a Pegasys partnership. Roche will grant Ascletis an exclusive sales & marketing promotion right in Mainland China for Pegasys, a leading pegylated interferon treatment for Hepatitis B and C.

It is estimated that over 86 million* patients in China are chronically infected with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Pegasys is a well-established pegylated interferon for viral Hepatitis with more than 15 years of branding in China. Leveraging on Ascletis' strong focus in the areas of viral Hepatitis, Ganovo success and strong Pegasys branding, Ascletis and Roche will be well-positioned to provide a complementary and comprehensive product portfolio to serve the high unmet medical needs for Chinese Hepatitis B and C patients.

"We are pleased to enter this strategic collaboration with Ascletis, a trusted partner with strong commitment to the area of viral Hepatitis, a major health concern in China. With this new model of business, we will further enhance the clinical usage of Pegasys in Hepatitis treatment in order to benefit more patients. Hepatitis B continues to be a core area of research and development at Roche. Roche has a long-term commitment to China and our investment in China continues to grow," said Hong Chow, General Manager, Roche Pharma China.

Jinzi J. Wu, PhD, Founder, Chairman and CEO at Ascletis added, "Roche has been an outstanding partner who has always put patients' needs first. Both Ascletis and Roche are committed to developing innovative Hepatitis B medicine. Ascletis has demonstrated strong development capability and solid commercial presence in China in the area of Hepatitis. The structure of this transformative collaboration will better serve China Hepatitis patients and create significant value for our shareholders. This marks a major step forward for Ascletis to address unmet needs of both Hepatitis B and C patients in China, which is in line with our strategy as a fully integrated China biotech leader focused on liver diseases."

About Pegasys

Pegasys (Peginterferon alfa-2a) is a modified form of interferon (IFN), a naturally occurring protein produced by the body to fight viruses, approved to treat HBV and HCV.

About Ganovo (Danoprevir)

Ganovo (Danoprevir) is an innovative Hepatitis C drug in-licensed from Roche in 2013 and fully developed and commercialized by Ascletis in China.

SOURCE Ascletis Pharma Inc.