(Yicai) Nov. 6 -- Hasten Biopharmaceutical said the Chinese drugmaker has completed the transfer of marketing authorizations for 70 products across the Asia-Pacific region and established a full commercial network that spans Southeast Asia, Australia, and South Korea to speed its expansion.

Hasten built the new network after acquiring the regional rights to a portfolio of branded products across eight Asia-Pacific markets in June last year and achieving initial commercialization this April, the Hefei-based company announced on Nov. 4. It covers key markets including South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

The firm highlighted early commercial wins in Thailand, where several of its core brands have taken leading positions. Its antihypertensive drug Edarbi ranks first in the country's angiotensin receptor blocker market; Madiplot tops the third-generation calcium channel blocker category for hypertension; and diabetes drug Oseni leads the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor combination segment.

“Global expansion presents complex challenges for emerging companies like Hasten," Chief Executive Liu Wenjun told Yicai. "We're upgrading from our initial breakthrough phase to building a sustainable Asia-Pacific healthcare ecosystem that can provide operational globalization solutions for Chinese pharmaceutical companies.”

"Southeast Asia represents a promising growth opportunity driven by its 600 million population and rising chronic disease burden," said Peggy Fung, executive vice president and head of Asia-Pacific commercial operations at Hasten.

The company has partnered with Switzerland's DKSH Group, a global leader in market expansion services, to leverage its regulatory and commercial expertise in the region, she pointed out.

The network is a milestone for Chinese pharmaceutical companies' overseas expansion efforts. As competition intensifies in the domestic market, more drugmakers are expected to follow Hasten’s playbook in building multinational operations.

Established in 2020, Hasten operates an integrated platform spanning research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization. The company aims to accelerate market access for innovative drugs across the Asia-Pacific through its "global operation + local execution" model.

Editor: Martin Kadiev