Antios thinks ATI-2173, which employs the Pharmasset liver-targeting chemistry used in HCV blockbuster Sovaldi, can help produce a functional cure in hepatitis B combination therapy.

After an earlier frenzy around local production and supply, policies to encourage generics, and fast-evolving procedural streamlining, Pfizer’s $350m ambition to develop and make cheaper biologics in China has come to an abrupt halt with the sale of its manufacturing site in a deal with services heavyweight WuXi Apptec.

From relatively little-known to high-flying, hotly pursued targets by global pharma players, Chinese domestically developed immuno-oncology drugs are ascending in both value and attractiveness, both inside China and far beyond.

In what could be a blow to some aspiring developers eyeing the nascent but growing biosimilars market in China, new rules lay out when extrapolation of approved indications of reference biologics will be allowed, meaning this will not be automatic.