Israel’s Teva gets China’s green light for Huntington’s treatment
China is the second country in the world, after the US, to approve Austedo, which addresses involuntary, random movements associated with the fatal illness
Shoshanna Solomon was The Times of Israel's Startups and Business reporter
Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries said Monday that Chinese authorities have given it a green light to market its Austedo treatment for Huntington’s disease.
China is the second country in the world, after the US, to approve Austedo, which addresses tardive dyskinesia in adults and the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease.
A rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder, Huntington’s disease has an average age onset in Asia of 40 years. Chorea – involuntary, random and sudden, twisting and/or writhing movements – is one of the most striking physical manifestations of this disease, occurring in approximately 90% of patients.
Tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder characterized by repetitive and uncontrollable movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk and extremities. The often-debilitating disorder affects about 500,000 people in the United States and is usually a result of treatment with widely used medications for psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Austedo is a branded drug developed by Teva, which saw sales jump 64% in the US in the quarter.
Teva’s shares were up 3.8% at 4:17 p.m. in Tel Aviv after the announcement, and 4.2% in pre-market trading in New York. The company earlier this month announced strong first quarter financial results, affected by a rise in demand for generic and over the counter drugs and respiratory products.
The Times of Israel Community.