Photo/Shetuwang

June 19 (NBD) -- On June 17, Nobel laureate Tu Youyou announced that her team has made headway towards artemisinin resistance in malaria treatment and also found that dihydroartemisinin, a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin and also a drug used to treat malaria, is uniquely effective in treating highly variable lupus, according to media outlet Xinhua.

Driven by the news, Kunming Pharmaceutical Corporation (KPC) hit limit-up on June 17 and 18. The 68-year-old pharmaceutical company, under an agreement with the unit where Tu Youyou's team works, is responsible for the clinical trials of dihydroartemisinin tablets in lupus treatment. 

In 2016, KPC signed an agreement with Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences to purchase the patent and clinical trial approval concerning the therapy for 70 million yuan (10 million U.S. dollars).

During an interview with National Business Daily, Xu Chaoneng, vice president and secretary of the board at KPC, revealed the clinical trial has stepped into the phase-II and is expected to be conducted at 15 Chinese hospitals. The trial is currently under way at 9 hospitals, involving 19 volunteers.

When asked about the outcomes of the phase-I trial, Xu commented, "Safe and effective." When the phase-II ends, a new round of clinical trial will be initiated to validate the effectiveness of the treatment, he said to NBD. 

It might take another seven to eight years to complete the clinical trials. "Professor Tu's team estimates that the drug (for lupus) could hit the market in 2026 or so if trials go smoothly," added Xu. 

However, he admitted that there is no prediction as to whether the drug will be eventually proven to be safe and effective. "I think, in a short time, it is hard to bring to market the drug for clinical treatment of lupus," commented Xu. 

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, brain and etc. At least five million people worldwide have a form of lupus, estimated by the Lupus Foundation of America. It is believed that between 10-15 percent of people with lupus will die prematurely due to complications of lupus.

This suggests a potentially huge market, and if KPC can make dramatic breakthroughs in the development of dihydroartemisinin tablets for lupus treatment, it would gain a fair share of the global market.  

Email: lansuying@nbd.com.cn