China Biopharmaceutical Secures Exclusive Rights to Two GSK Respiratory Blockbusters Amid Dual MNC Deals

On July 8, Sino Biopharm announced a further deepening of its strategic cooperation with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), securing exclusive commercialization rights in mainland China for two global blockbuster innovative respiratory drugs. The scope of collaboration between the two parties has expanded from liver diseases to the field of chronic respiratory diseases. On the same day, its PDE3/4 inhibitor TQC3721 reached an overseas licensing agreement with AstraZeneca, featuring an upfront payment of $200 million and a maximum total transaction value of $1.9 billion.

Under the expanded agreement, CHIATAI TIANQING, a subsidiary of Sino Biopharm, will assume full responsibility for the importation, distribution, hospital access, and promotional and non-promotional activities of two products in mainland China: fluticasone fume/vilanterol inhalation powder (Trelegy) and umeclidinium/vilanterol inhalation powder (Anoro). GSK will remain the Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) for both drugs, overseeing regulatory registration, quality control, pharmacovigilance, and global brand strategy.

Both products are benchmark cornerstone therapies in the global respiratory field, with cumulative global sales exceeding $23 billion. Among them, Trelegy is currently the first and only single-inhaler triple therapy approved in China for maintenance treatment of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With global sales of approximately $4 billion in 2025, it firmly holds the top position in global inhalation product sales. Anoro Ellipta, a core dual-bronchodilator regimen recommended by the GOLD guidelines for COPD, achieved global sales of approximately $700 million in 2025, making it the leading brand in the global dual-bronchodilator category.

The disease areas covered by the two products have vast market potential in China. According to relevant statistics, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in China, accounting for more than 30% of global COPD-related deaths, with approximately 100 million COPD patients in the country. Asthma is also one of the most common respiratory diseases in China, with around 46 million adult asthma patients nationwide. The inhalation formulation sector represents the sub-segment with the highest barriers to entry and the greatest value within respiratory therapeutics.