HANGZHOU and SHAOXING, China, Sept. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascletis Pharma Inc. (1672.HK) announced today that Ganovo® (Danoprevir) has been enrolled in the Basic Medical Insurance of Tianjin--Capped Reimbursement-Per-Patient Pilot Program ("Pilot Program") for outpatients with hepatitis C. The Pilot Program supports hepatitis C patients get timely access to most innovative treatments and aims to eliminate hepatitis C in China by 2030. It also creates a new chapter for Ganovo® to begin its reimbursement access to the provincial medical reimbursement system. It is anticipated more provinces in China will replicate the Tianjin initiative.
Ganovo® is the first DAA developed and commercialized by a domestic company in China. Ganovo® inhibits the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease that is critical to HCV replication. In the phase III clinical trial conducted in Mainland China, Ganovo regimen (Ganovo® in combination with PEGylated interferon and ribavirin) demonstrated a cure rate of 97% (SVR12) in genotype 1 non-cirrhotic patients, with a 12-week treatment duration.
"Thanks to the Tianjin Medical Insurance Authority and clinical community for their support to domestically developed innovative drugs. The reimbursement reflects the clinical experts' endorsement of Ganovo's efficacy and safety, as well as the government's support for innovative drugs and care for patients," said Jinzi J. Wu, Ph.D., Ascletis' founder, Chairman and CEO. "The Pilot Program fulfilled the concept of value-based payment. Starting from Tianjin, we anticipate Ganovo® will gain reimbursement access in more provinces and benefit more hepatitis C patients in China."