KainosMed's 'AIDS Treatment' Listed in China's Health Insurance Catalog... "Sales to Begin in Earnest"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Kainosmed's AIDS treatment drug, which was developed and licensed out to China, has been listed on China's health insurance drug list. Sales in the Chinese market are expected to begin in earnest.

On the 6th, Kainosmed announced that Jiangsu Aidea Pharmaceuticals, its Chinese partner, had registered the AIDS treatment drug Ainuovirine (product name Aibond®) on China's "National Basic Medical Insurance, Industrial Injury Insurance, and Maternity Insurance Drug List."

Ainuovirine is an AIDS treatment substance (KM-023) initially introduced by Kainosmed from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, which completed Phase 1 clinical trials domestically and was licensed to Jiangsu Aidea in 2014.

Since acquiring this substance, Jiangsu Aidea has been developing it under the name ACC007 and, in combination with Tenofovir (TDF) and Lamivudine (3TC), successfully completed Phase 3 clinical trials last year. Recently, it received the final New Drug Application (NDA) approval as China's first oral AIDS treatment drug.

Jiangsu Aidea expects sales to increase significantly in the Chinese market, which exceeds 1 trillion won, following the listing of Ainuovirine on the health insurance drug list.

A representative from Jiangsu Aidea stated, "The fact that Ainuovirine was listed on the health insurance drug list less than six months after receiving marketing approval reflects the Chinese government's strong support for innovative new drugs that improve cost-effectiveness and accessibility for patients," and added, "This listing is expected to expand the product's sales scale."

A Kainosmed official said, "With this listing, sales of Ainuovirine within the Chinese health insurance market will begin in earnest, and accordingly, royalty income from the Chinese market is also expected to gradually increase."

Meanwhile, Jiangsu Aidea is also developing ACC008, a single combination tablet consisting of ACC007, Tenofovir (TDF), and Lamivudine (3TC). To expedite the commercialization of ACC008, they applied for new drug approval last May targeting patients who have not previously received treatment. Separately, Jiangsu Aidea is conducting Phase 3 clinical trials of ACC008 for patients who have prior treatment experience.