"Rui Xiang Xin Sheng" Roxadustat (Evrenzo®) Patient Assistance Program Launched in Beijing

Beijing, April 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --April 21“Rui Xiang Xin Sheng” Aroxidol Drug Donation Program, initiated by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation and jointly supported by AstraZeneca and FibroGen, was officially launched in Beijing. This program represents a public welfare innovation by the government, foundations, and enterprises to enhance the accessibility of innovative drugs, featuring the global first-in-class new drug Roxadustat Capsules (brand name: Aroxidol).^®) provided free of charge to eligible patients with urgent needs, meaning that Chinese patients will be the first in the world to benefit from this “global new” innovative drug, ahead of those in Europe and the United States.

Roxadustat is a domestically developed, original Class 1 innovative drug that was globally researched and first incubated and approved in China, marking the first major breakthrough in the global anemia treatment field in 30 years. This innovative drug received support from China’s “13th Five-Year Plan” National Major Special Project for New Drug Creation during its development. It was approved for market launch in December 2018 through the priority review and approval process of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of anemia caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients undergoing dialysis. The drug has not yet been marketed in any other country.

“Rui Xiang Xin Sheng” Airuizhuo Drug Donation Program aims to cover 30,000 patients with renal anemia undergoing dialysis. It will be launched in Beijing in April, open for applications and appointments in May, and gradually implemented nationwide. Patients who meet the medical criteria as assessed by project experts and approved by the program team can collect donated medications at nearby charitable drug distribution points.

Multi-party collaboration ensures that innovative new drugs benefit patients at the earliest opportunity

In China, chronic kidney disease has become the most common major chronic disease after cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes.. Average perOne in 10 Chinese adults suffers from chronic kidney disease^[1]. Renal anemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease, with an incidence rate as high as 98.2% in patients with end-stage renal disease (commonly known as uremia).^[2]. Studies have shown that among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in China, the average annual direct treatment costs attributable to CKD for those with anemia are four times higher than those for non-anemic patients.^[3]。

Professor Lin Shantan, Director of the Institute of Nephrology at Fudan University, stated:“Renal anemia exacerbates the decline in renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease and increases the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. It not only affects patients’ physical and mental health as well as their social functioning, but also imposes a substantial disease burden on their families and society at large. Therefore, active treatment and correction of anemia are particularly important.”

“Eighty years ago, Ms. Soong Ching Ling made tremendous contributions to medical relief and child healthcare during wartime. Today, we continue to uphold and carry forward her original spirit of universal love, aligning with the themes of our times. In the field of healthcare, guided by the vision of ‘Healthy China,’ we collaborate extensively with compassionate enterprises and medical institutions to deliver high-quality medical resources and medicines to patients in need, effectively helping them address their practical challenges.”The China Soong Ching Ling Foundation stated:“In recent years, the state has introduced a series of policies and initiatives to strengthen the prevention and control management of chronic diseases and improve the quality of life for patients with chronic conditions. Today, we are delighted to join hands with caring enterprises to bring globally first-in-class drugs to Chinese patients promptly through innovative approaches. I highly appreciate AstraZeneca’s commitment to public welfare and philanthropy. Over the past two years, it has donated more than RMB 40 million to our association, jointly launching initiatives such as the Healthy China Campaign, the Mingdao Dean’s Forum, and the Extraordinary Lung Power project. These efforts advocate integrating humanistic spirit into medical services, leveraging role models to guide the professional development of primary care physicians, driving innovation in primary healthcare with cutting-edge concepts, and providing compassionate support to help patients alleviate their suffering.”

Lai Minglong, General Manager of AstraZeneca China, stated:“AstraZeneca has always adhered to a science-first approach, prioritizing innovation and focusing on the unmet medical and health needs of patients in China. We are committed to accelerating the availability of innovative medicines for patients. Benefiting from a series of national policy reforms, multiple innovative drugs, including roxadustat, have received accelerated approval for market launch. To benefit Chinese patients more rapidly, AstraZeneca, beyond R&D and commercial innovation, is continuously exploring pathways for social charity innovation and actively fulfilling its corporate social responsibility. Over the years, we have carried out numerous public welfare collaborations with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation. Today, we are honored to once again join hands with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation to bring roxadustat, this globally innovative medicine, to Chinese patients with anemia associated with chronic kidney disease at the earliest opportunity.”

The Airezo Drug Donation Program has chosen Beijing as its inaugural launch site, with patients in Beijing being the first to benefit. In this regard,Zhong Li Yunhua, Executive President of FibroGen China and General Manager of the China Region, stated:“The development of roxadustat has received strong support from all sectors of the Beijing Municipal Government. We sincerely hope that this innovative drug, incubated and manufactured locally in Beijing, will be among the first to benefit patients in Beijing through the ‘Ruixiang Xinsheng’ (Renewed Life) project, thereby giving back to the citizens of Beijing. We thank the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation for its trust in us, and we will fully cooperate in the implementation of the project.”

[1] Luxia Zhang, Fang Wang, Li Wang, Wenke Wang, Bicheng Liu, Jian Liu, Menghua Chen, Qiang He, Yunhua Liao,
Xueqing Yu, et al.Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in China: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet. 2012 Mar 3; 379(9818):
815–822. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60033-6

[2] Lin Pan, Ding Xiaoqiang, Yuan Min, et al. Investigation on the Prevalence of Anemia in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease[J]. Fudan University Journal (Medical Sciences), 2009, 36:562-565

[3] Zuo Li, Liu Xueli, Han Sheng. Study on the Aggravation of Economic Burden on Chinese Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease due to Renal Anemia [J]. Chinese Journal of Pharmaceutical Economics, 2018(9).