Pfizer and Merck Announce Joint Commercialization of Xalkori® (Crizotinib) in China

PharmNet, January 13 – Pfizer and Merck announced today that they have officially launched the joint promotion of Pfizer’s targeted oncology drug Xalkori® (crizotinib) in the Chinese market, effective January 1, 2016. This represents a key strategic initiative following the formal entry of the global strategic alliance between Pfizer and Merck into China in August 2015. The collaboration will leverage the medical resources, innovative expertise, and professional teams of both companies in China to benefit more Chinese patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to further advance the development of immuno-oncology therapies in China.

 

“Xalkori® co-promotion represents the implementation of the global alliance between Pfizer and Merck in China,” stated Mr. Shan Guohong, President of Pfizer Oncology Greater China and one of the leaders of this co-promotion initiative. “The significant value of this collaboration lies in pooling the resources and strengths of both companies to maximize benefits for cancer patients in China, accelerating and expanding access to the latest targeted therapies and immuno-oncology drugs, thereby ensuring that patients receive timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment. For this strategic partnership, co-promotion is just the beginning. We believe that in the future, beyond lung cancer medications, more oncology-related products will be launched in China, bringing greater benefits to a wider population of Chinese cancer patients.”

 

Ms. Yu Wenhui, Head of the Oncology Business Unit within Merck China’s Biopharma Division, also expressed strong optimism about the co-promotion of Xalkori®. She stated, “The co-promotion initiative enables both companies to fully leverage their respective strengths. We are confident that, through our concerted efforts, we will establish a collaborative relationship built on ‘mutual trust, respect, and win-win outcomes,’ thereby driving further growth for Xalkori® in the Chinese market. Merck and Pfizer will maintain long-term collaboration in the field of oncology. We hope that the experience gained from the co-promotion of Xalkori® will facilitate the successful future launch of avelumab in China, enabling us to better serve cancer patients.”

 

The Pfizer-Merck Global Oncology Strategic Alliance was established in November 2014. The formation of the China Pfizer-Merck Alliance Joint Steering Committee (JSC) in Beijing on June 23, 2015, marked the official full-scale launch of the global alliance in China. As part of the global alliance agreement, Merck will jointly promote Xalkori® (crizotinib), a therapeutic agent for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with Pfizer. This represents another strategic collaboration following the two companies’ announcement in November 2014 to co-develop and co-promote avelumab, a fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 monoclonal antibody then still in the research stage. The first phase of this joint promotion was carried out in the second and third quarters of 2015 in the United States, Canada, Japan, and five European Union countries (the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain). The second phase commenced on January 1 of this year in China and Turkey.

 

The joint promotion of Xalkori® in China marks the official launch of the Pfizer-Merck global oncology strategic alliance in the country. Following three rounds of working meetings and extensive, in-depth discussions by the Xalkori® Alliance Country Product Operating Committee (CPOC), the Pfizer-Merck Alliance CPOC has established the strategic direction and implementation plan for the joint promotion of Xalkori® in China. Starting from January 1, 2016, Pfizer and Merck will roll out the joint promotion in phases across China, gradually expanding to moreHospital, benefiting more Chinese lung cancer patients.

 

Xalkori® (crizotinib), as the first anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor approved in the United States, Europe, China, and Japan, is the world’s first targeted therapy for the treatment of ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Xalkori® is distinguished by its unique and superior efficacy and precision medicine corePsychologyconcept, having been approved for marketing in over 85 countries within just four years, and widely recognized as a treatment for ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)StandardTherapeutic agent. Worldwide, more than 20,000 patients have been treated with Xalkori® and have derived clear clinical benefit, ushering in a new era of “precision medicine and long-term survival” for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Xalkori® was approved by the China Food and Drug Administration in January 2013.PharmaceuticalsFollowing rapid approval by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), it was officially launched in the Chinese market in July of the same year. In China, Xalkori® has continued to advance, supported and championed by a broad community of clinical and pathology experts, owing to its superior therapeutic efficacy and its treatment philosophy centered on molecular diagnostics. It has saved the lives of many patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), significantly improved their quality of life, and brought hope for survival to countless lung cancer patients and their families.

 

Pfizer and Merck jointly promote Xalkori®, which is a collaboration between the two companies inTumorThis significant endeavor will not only benefit a broader population of Chinese patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but also accumulate valuable experience in global co-promotion for multinational pharmaceutical companies, thereby laying a solid foundation for expanded future collaboration between the two parties in the field of oncology. "A powerful alliance to benefit patients," the integration of the two companies' advanced R&D systems and their deepened market and academic cooperation will undoubtedly further advance the development of "precision medicine" concepts in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, bringing greater well-being to more lung cancer patients in China!