BEIJING, Dec. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals (Gan & Lee), a leading biopharmaceutical company with 20 years' experience specializing in research, development, production and commercialization of insulin and insulin analogues in China, today announced it has entered into an agreement to commercialize three insulin analogs used in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to Sandoz, a Novartis division and global leader in biosimilar pharmaceuticals.
Within this collaboration, Gan & Lee has granted to Sandoz commercialization right of glargine, lispro and aspart for EU, US, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia and New Zealand markets. Other specific terms of the agreement are confidential.
In 2015, total global health expenditure due to diabetes was estimated at 673 billion US dollars, roughly 12% of overall global health expenditure[3]. The concerns on insulin affordability have been increasingly noted with the US Food and Drug Administration stating in December 2018 that "access to affordable insulin is literally a matter of life and death for (certain) Americans[4]".
When the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar, a serious chronic disease called diabetes can occur. It is estimated that more than 400 million adults worldwide are living with diabetes, and that number is expected to rise. People with diabetes may develop blindness, kidney failure, and cardiovascular disease.
"We are delighted to achieve this comprehensive agreement with Sandoz," said Kai Du, Corporate VP of International Business Development, Gan & Lee. "Through the collaboration we are expecting to provide patients in regulated markets outside of China with more treatment choices."
References
[1] World Health Organization. Diabetes: Key Facts. Available at: http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes. Accessed 3 December 2018.
[2] Basu, S et al. Estimation of global insulin use for type 2 diabetes, 2018-30: a microsimulation. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2018 Nov; Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(18)30303-6/fulltext. Accessed 3 December 2018.
[3] IDF International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 8th edn. Brussels, 2017. http://diabetesatlas.org/resources/2017-atlas.html.
[4] Ogurtsova, K et al. IDF Diabetes Atlas: Global estimates for the prevalence of diabetes for 2015 and 2040. Available at https://www.diabetesresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S0168-8227(17)30375-3/fulltext. Accessed 11 December 2018.
About Gan & Lee
Gan & Lee is a high-tech biopharmaceutical company specializing in research, development, production and commercialization of insulin and its analogues, and is a leader in the diabetes market in China. Relying on technical and cost advantages, Gan & Lee has expanded rapidly into the global market. Currently with marketing and distribution contracts in about 20 countries, Gan & Lee successfully launched a US Phase III clinical trial for insulin glargine in 2017, and is endeavouring to benefit more patients worldwide with high quality and affordable antidiabetic products and services.