UCB Announces Approval of NEUPRO in China to Treat Parkinson’s Disease

Belgium-based global bio-pharmaceutical company UCB announced it has received an Import Drug License (IDL) from the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), creating a pathway to make the company’s 24-hour continuous delivery transdermal rotigotine patch NEUPRO available to patients in China.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, degenerative neurological disease with an estimated prevalence of 1.7% in China in people aged 65 years and older. Estimates suggest that around 3 million people in China are affected by the condition.

With this IDL, NEUPRO is now indicated in China for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of early-stage idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease as monotherapy (i.e. without levodopa) or in combination with levodopa, i.e. over the course of the disease, through to late stages when the effect of levodopa wears off or becomes inconsistent and fluctuations of the therapeutic effect occur (end of dose or ‘on-off’ fluctuations).

NEUPRO is designed to support and improve individual patient treatment experiences for people living with Parkinson’s Disease. The product’s unique transdermal patch formulation is administered once daily, providing a continuous release of rotigotine over a 24-hour period.

“The availability of NEUPRO in China is testament to UCB fulfilling our commitment to provide additional value to patients around the world,” said Jeff Wren, Executive Vice-President, Head of UCB’s Neurology Patient Value Unit. “We know the significant impact Parkinson’s can have on the lives of patients and their family members, and how important it is to effectively manage symptoms to allow patients to keep their independence and maintain their quality of life. With the approval of NEUPRO in China, we are very excited that we will be able to make this medicine available to the millions of people affected by Parkinson’s Disease in the country, providing them with a convenient treatment option to help them to manage their condition.”

As a result of the IDL, UCB will now progress with NEUPRO launch planning, to ensure patients in China with Parkinson’s are able to benefit from this approval as quickly as possible.

UCB has been present in China since 1996 and has a prominent presence in the country, having launched Keppra for the treatment of some forms of epilepsy in 2007. This important landmark helped established the company’s reputation as a leader in neurology. Additionally, in 2014, UCB inaugurated a new state of the art 13,000 m² manufacturing site in Zhuhai, which strengthened our footprint in the country.

Alongside approval for NEUPRO, these activities reinforce UCB’s ongoing commitment to supporting patients with severe diseases in China.