Eisai signs lorcaserin deal in China

Japanese drug major Eisai (TYO: 4523) has granted exclusive development and marketing rights for its anti-obesity agent lorcaserin hydrochloride (US brand name Belviq) in China (including Hong Kong and Macao) to Taiwan-headquartered CY Biotech (Taiwan-headquartered.

Under this agreement, Eisai will supply CYB with lorcaserin. Eisai will receive a one-time contractual payment and milestone payments dependent upon acquisition of regulatory approval. In addition, Eisai has the option rights to co-promote lorcaserin with CYB in China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao), as well as the option rights to market lorcaserin in Hong Kong and Macao.

USA-based Arena Pharmace Publishuticals (Nasdaq: ARNA), the developer of the drug, launched Belviq in the USA in June 2013. Lorcaserin was approved in Mexico in July 2016 and in Brazil in December 2016, with the same indication as for the USA. In Taiwan, lorcaserin was developed by CYB, which obtained approval in July 2017 and launched lorcaserin in Taiwan in October 2017. In January 2017, Eisai acquired rights to the product from Arena.