Lotus Pharmaceuticals Co (美時化學製藥) yesterday launched the world’s first generic equivalent of the oncology drug Revlimid (lenalidomide) in a number of central and east European markets.
The company’s bioequivalent drug has been approved in Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria and the Baltic states, and it is eyeing a global launch this year.
Revlimid treats multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes and mantle cell lymphoma, and is considered to be the single biggest-selling oncology drug, with approximately US$9.8 billion in global sales, the company said.
The product is marketed in the form of 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 15mg, 20mg and 25mg capsules, it said, adding that the new generic drug represents a milestone at its production plant in Nantou County.
The company last month also added Evista (raloxifene), which is used in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, to its portfolio of branded products via a US$22 million acquisition deal with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.
Lotus is to take over all of the product’s intellectual property and existing businesses in seven Asia-Pacific markets, including Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand, from April, while a formal closing of the deal is expected early next year.
In related news, TaiMed Biologics Inc (中裕新藥) yesterday said that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has completed onsite inspections of its manufacturing partner as the company nears the launch of Trogarzo, its HIV/AIDS drug in the single market.
TaiMed said that EMA inspectors found no critical deficiencies at the facilities at China’s WuXi AppTed (藥明康德), its manufacturing partner.
Trogarzo has been granted accelerated assessment procedure by the EMA and has been under review since September last year.
The company expects the drug to be approved before the end of next year.
Meanwhile, the company’s NT$1 billion protein manufacturing plant in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City (竹北) is expected to begin production next year, helping it reduce its reliance on costly contract manufacturing and diversify its supply sources.
Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) is expected to meet with Taiwanese suppliers next month in conjunction with the opening of the Computex Taipei trade show, supply chain sources said on Monday. The visit, the first for Tan to Taiwan since assuming his new post last month, would be aimed at enhancing Intel’s ties with suppliers in Taiwan as he attempts to help turn around the struggling US chipmaker, the sources said. Tan is to hold a banquet to celebrate Intel’s 40-year presence in Taiwan before Computex opens on May 20 and invite dozens of Taiwanese suppliers to exchange views
Application-specific integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原) yesterday said that although revenue this quarter would decline 30 percent from last quarter, it retained its full-year forecast of revenue growth of 100 percent. The company attributed the quarterly drop to a slowdown in customers’ production of chips using Faraday’s advanced packaging technology. The company is still confident about its revenue growth this year, given its strong “design-win” — or the projects it won to help customers design their chips, Faraday president Steve Wang (王國雍) told an online earnings conference. “The design-win this year is better than we expected. We believe we will win
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) is expected to share his views about the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s prospects during his speech at the company’s 37th anniversary ceremony, as AI servers have become a new growth engine for the equipment manufacturing service provider. Lam’s speech is much anticipated, as Quanta has risen as one of the world’s major AI server suppliers. The company reported a 30 percent year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue to NT$1.41 trillion (US$43.35 billion) last year, thanks to fast-growing demand for servers, especially those with AI capabilities. The company told investors in November last year that
Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) yesterday said it plans to ship its new 1 megawatt charging systems for electric trucks and buses in the first half of next year at the earliest. The new charging piles, which deliver up to 1 megawatt of charging power, are designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles, and support a maximum current of 1,500 amperes and output of 1,250 volts, Delta said in a news release. “If everything goes smoothly, we could begin shipping those new charging systems as early as in the first half of next year,” a company official said. The new
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