Teva looks to sell generics in China through joint venture with Guangzhou Pharma

November 7, 2017  Source: Fiercepharma 536

As the world’s largest generics maker, Teva still doesn’t have much of a presence in China, even though it is a country relies heavily on generics. The Israeli company is looking to remedy that by reportedly forming a joint venture with local company Guangzhou Pharma, according to Bloomberg.

The intel came from a Bloomberg interview with Li Chuyuan, the chairman of the Chinese firm which is known for some traditional Chinese medicine and a Viagra copycat.  He also said his company is awaiting Chinese approvals for some Teva drugs.

In a statement quoted by Bloomberg, Teva said it “has no agreement with any local partner to form a JV in China,” but went short of denying such a possibility or whether it’s in talks with Guangzhou Pharma.

Teva had made some inroads in China more than a decade ago with a $7.4 billion Ivax acquisition deal in which it gained 50% of the shares in Kunming Baker Norton Pharma, a joint venture between China’s Kunming Pharma and Ivax. The company’s amoxicillin is one of the best-selling antibiotics in China. But then in 2015, Kunming Pharma bought back 49% of the shares, leaving only 1% for Teva.

Teva has an API plant in China—which was dealt a warning letter from the U.S. FDA in April—and is selling drugs through a distribution agreement with a local company.

Different market analyses have put different numbers on China’s generics market size. A report (PDF) by the U.S. Department of Commerce put China’s generics sales in 2016 at $68 million, accounting for 64% of the country’s total drug sales, and said that it is expected to reach $80 million this year, surpassing the U.S. Another report by Fitch Ratings said the market share occupied by copycat drugs in China was 85%.

By Ddu
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