TaiMed Biologics Inc (中裕新藥) said that a deal with Meroven Ltd to sell Trogarzo, an HIV/AIDS treatment, in the Middle East and northern Africa would boost its revenue in the long term.
The 10-year contract with Meroven took effect on Monday.
Under the agreement, Ireland-based Meroven would help gain marketing approvals for Trogarzo from authorities in the two regions, TaiMed chief financial officer James Chen (陳怡成) said.
“The Middle East will be a good market, as many high-income earners can afford Trogarzo, which costs about US$118,000 for one year of treatment in the US,” Chen said, adding that the situation is the same with some nations in northern Africa.
Chen declined to say when Trogarzo would enter the markets or how much it would cost.
In Europe, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use is expected to start assessing TaiMed’s marketing authorization application for the treatment next month, Chen said.
If approval is granted soon, the company plans to sell the HIV/AIDS treatment by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, which would boost revenue significantly, he said.
Anticipating high demand from new markets, TaiMed plans to expand production of Trogarzo and has asked its new contract manufacturing partner, Samsung BioLogics Co Ltd, to begin a pilot run this year and mass production next year, Chen said.
Samsung BioLogics is TaiMed’s second contract manufacturer, after WuXi Biologics Co Ltd (無錫生物製藥), for the HIV/AIDS treatment.
The South Korean firm’s production capacity would be seven times that of WuXi Biologics, and would help TaiMed reduce costs and improve margin, Chen said.
WuXi produces Trogarzo for the US market, while those manufactured by Samsung BioLogics would be for European markets, he said.
A new plant in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City (竹北) has been built and is expected to begin production next year, Chen said.
TaiMed is conducting clinical trials for Trogarzo in Taiwan, but has no plan to apply for marketing approval this year, as there is less demand than in other nations, he added.
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