BRIEF—NMPA approval for Hengrui's generic of Diquas

Chinese drugmaker Hengrui has received approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for its generic version of Santen's Diquas (diquafosol) to treat dry eye.

This is the first Diquas copycat in China.

Diquas was approved in China in 2017 to compete with artificial tears, the most used solution for dry eye relief in China.

Aside from Hengrui, China has five other pharmas working on Diquas generics, including Qilu Pharma and Yangtze River Pharma.

Ophthalmic treatment is the new area for Hengrui to seek sustainable growth.

In November 2019, it bought the China rights of two dry eye treatment candidates - Nov03 and CyclASol - from the German company Novaliq.