Winsunny licenses HGCP to produce generic API

07-Apr-2010 - Last updated on 08-Apr-2010 at 09:34 GMT

Winsunny Pharma has exclusively licensed NMT’s HGCP technology, which produces APIs in low micron and nano-sized range, to manufacture a hyperlipidemia-controlling drug in China.

NanoMaterials Technology’s (NMT) proprietary high gravity controlled precipitation (HGCP) technology consolidates crystallisation, micronisation and conditioning processes into a single step. This saves time and money, according to Singapore-based NMT.

Beijing Winsunny Pharmaceutical has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement to use the technology to produce a generic version of “a worldwide blockbuster hyperlipidemia-controlling drug in China”.

“We believe that this is the beginning of a series of drugs using our technology to be made available in the market”, said Jimmy Yun, CEO of NMT. Yun added that NMT in talks with pharma companies “in the US, Europe and China to commercialise several compounds using HGCP”.

Using HGCP NMT will provide a new formulation of the hyperlipidemia treatment which will increase efficacy, lower drug dosage and improve patient compliance. NMT has applied HGCP to small and macro molecules for formulation into solid oral dosage and inhalation forms.

HGCP can also be used to design drug particles with suitable aerodynamic properties and specific particle size distribution for pulmonary inhalation. The technology allows for cost-effective scale up to large scale production, according to NMT.

Details of the deal

NMT will receive an undisclosed upfront fee as well as milestone and royalty payments based on future sales. The potential market for the treatment is more than $900m (€677m), according to NMT, and there are 90m patients in China undergoing long-term treatment for hyperlipidemia.

Winsunny Pharma will cover development, regulatory and commercialisation costs of the solid oral dosage form drug.