WanTai Bio Rejects Rumors of Merck Acquisition, Updates on HPV Vaccine Development

Oct 19, 2023 17:32 CST Updated 17:32

WANTAI BioPharm

Biological Diagnostic Reagents and Vaccine R&D, Manufacturer

MSD

Pharmaceutical R&D and Manufacturer

Recently, an investor asked WANTAI BioPharm, "Is it true that Merck & Co., Inc. intends to acquire WANTAI BioPharm? Will they acquire the entire company's equity or just the HPV nine-valent vaccine project?" On the afternoon of the 16th, Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co., Ltd. replied on the investor Q&A platform, stating that the news was not true.

It is understood that WANTAI BioPharm and MSD are both HPV vaccine manufacturers. In 2018, MSD's nine-valent HPV vaccine (trade name: Gardasil 9) was approved by the National Medical Products Administration, and Zhifei Biological is its sole agent in China. To date, MSD remains the world's only producer of the nine-valent HPV vaccine.

WANTAI BioPharm's Nine-Valent HPV Vaccine is Also Catching Up. On the 16th, WANTAI BioPharm replied on the investor Q&A platform that the Phase III clinical trial of the company's nine-valent HPV vaccine is proceeding with visits according to the plan and has entered a critical stage. The company has been actively promoting the coordination of all supporting aspects, striving to seize the optimal declaration time.

Although the nine-valent HPV vaccine is still under development, WANTAI BioPharm's bivalent HPV vaccine, Cecolin, was launched in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) in May 2020, becoming the first domestically produced cervical cancer prevention product in China. As of October 22, 2020, the batch release volume of WANTAI BioPharm’s bivalent HPV vaccine exceeded 2.2 million vials. In its launch year, the bivalent HPV vaccine generated 693 million yuan in revenue for WANTAI BioPharm.

However, in the first half of 2023, the net profit attributable to shareholders of WANTAI BioPharm fell by 36.78%. One of the reasons was a significant decline in sales revenue from the bivalent HPV vaccine and COVID-19 related products, leading to a drop in net profit.

Source:China News经纬

WorkPatient:Lin Wan Si

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