Pandora wrote: Back in December it was announced that the program in China with Wanbang was being dropped
because Boehringer had announced a patent issue and the SGLT2 drug was going to be issued as a generic. Or some such words (see below). Anyway it brought the China program for SBM's SGLT2 (TFC-039) to a halt. Have we had a clear update telling us how, where and when this SGLT2 program will get back on track?
Vancouver, Canada – December 13, 2021 – Sirona Biochem Corp. (TSX-V: SBM) (FSE: ZSB) (US-OTC: SRBCF) (“Sirona”) announces that it has received notice that the development of Sirona’s SGLT2 inhibitor, TFC-039, will be discontinued by Wanbang Biopharmaceuticals (“Wanbang”) as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in China.
TFC-039 was licensed to Wanbang, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group, in 2014. Sirona received a total of USD 1.5 million in upfront and milestone payments.
“To this point, Wanbang has remained dedicated to the development of the drug, completing the IND and advancing through and completing its Phase I clinical trials. During 2021, they indicated that they were extensively analyzing the clinical results and that delays were the result of COVID closures and restrictions. This year, Empagliflozin (developed by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly) failed to uphold patent protection in China, which created a generic environment for SGLT2 inhibitors. It was reported to us TFC-039 performed well in the clinical trials, however, given the generic situation, it did not make good business sense for Wanbang to continue a lengthy and costly development”, said Dr. Howard Verrico, CEO of Sirona Biochem.
“While this is disappointing, we still see a path forward for TFC-039. We are working on several opportunities (both existing and new) for animal care globally. Our science team is also working on a new therapeutic indication, with potential strong advantages for TFC-039 compared to other compounds of the same class. This new indication has both unmet need and tremendous commercial value. The work done to date by Sirona and Wanbang will provide added value towards these opportunities, and we will also explore future involvement with Wanbang. Further dialogue will be occurring between Wanbang, and Sirona and any material news will be released accordingly.”