Hansoh Pharma's Pemozatide, the First EPO Mimetic Peptide for Renal Anemia, Receives First National Reimbursement Prescription

On January 10, the Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine issued the first national medical insurance prescription for Shengluolai (Pemotecan Injection) after its inclusion in the medical insurance. The drug, at a more affordable price, provided a new treatment option for patients with renal anemia.

Professor Wang Niansong, Director of the Department of Nephrology at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, stated: "As the world's only approved EPO mimetic peptide new drug, after Serrolyt was included in the National Medical Insurance Catalogue through negotiation, several eligible patients have been waiting to use it. Some choose it as the first option at initial diagnosis; some hope to try replacing previous drugs that had side effects with this new drug; and others prefer it because it is easy to manage."

Professor Wang Niansong introduced that the treatment of renal anemia in China is still mainly based on short-acting recombinant human EPO. Despite its significant efficacy, clinical issues such as low rates of achieving target hemoglobin levels, hyporesponse, and safety concerns persist. Moreover, the need for frequent injections of short-acting ESAs leads to poor patient compliance, whereas long-acting formulations have already gained widespread use abroad.

Hansoh Pharma's self-developed innovative drug, Shengluolai, is currently the world's only approved EPO mimetic peptide. Modified by third-generation branched polyethylene glycol, it significantly extends the half-life and reduces immunogenicity. Compared with recombinant human EPO, this new drug does not induce the production of anti-EPO antibodies or mediate pure red cell aplasia, nor does it lose its erythropoietic effect due to carbamylation. It also has higher affinity and requires only once every 4 weeks subcutaneous injection to help patients achieve stable results, offering a long-acting, stable, and safe new option. Shengluolai fills the gap in China’s renal anemia treatment for monthly formulations and is expected to usher in a new chapter in the long-term management of renal anemia.

The drug was approved for marketing by the National Medical Products Administration in June 2023. It is suitable for anemia caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD), including adult non-dialysis patients who have not received erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) treatment and adult dialysis patients receiving short-acting erythropoietin (EPO) treatment. In December of the same year, Santrola was included in the new edition of the National Medical Insurance Catalogue. As the new edition of the National Medical Insurance Catalogue was officially implemented on January 1, 2024, and the first batch of Santrola medical insurance prescriptions were issued starting from January 10, it marked that the drug would bring a new treatment option to patients with renal anemia at a more affordable price.