BRIEF—Eisai sets up JV in China

Japanese pharma major Eisai has formed a joint venture with JD Health, a subsidiary of China's major e-commerce company JD, in Shanghai.

Named Jingyi Weixiang, the 49%-51% JV targets a vast aging population in China, providing medical and nursing care services for those with dementia/Alzheimer's disease.

According to a statement, the JV will provide services including online health consulting, online prescriptions, and nursing service outsourcing.

The JV will also run an e-commerce platform selling drugs and healthcare products for those with dementia/AD.

Eisai China president Feng Yanhui said in a statement that she expects new AD drug launches in the future.

Eisai and Biogen's AD treatment aducanumab is waiting for the approval of their New Drug Application (NDA) from US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.