(Yicai) Nov. 7 -- Sanofi has brought to the China International Import Expo two new cardiovascular therapies through partnerships with Chinese partners, highlighting the French pharmaceutical giant's local strategy focused on partnership-driven innovation.

The global debuts of aficamten for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and plozasiran for familial chylomicronemia syndrome and severe hypertriglyceridemia address critical gaps in China's cardiovascular disease treatment landscape. The two drugs resulted from Sanofi's collaboration with Chinese biopharmaceutical firms Corxel and Visirna Therapeutics, the RNA therapy subsidiary of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals.

"Our strategy in China is guided by several principles," said Oxana Monge, general manager of Sanofi China's General Medicines division. They are bringing innovative therapies that address patient needs to China, ensuring that these therapies hold the highest mark of innovation -- first in class and best in class -- and building on the company's commitment in China, she noted.

Aficamten, a second-generation cardiac myosin inhibitor, treats obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic condition that can lead to heart failure and sudden cardiac death, and is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death among adolescents and athletes. The drug has received the Breakthrough Therapy Designation from China's National Medical Products Administration.

"Aficamten may not be the first in class because we have a drug that has been ahead of us, but I believe that it has the potential to be definitely the best in class," Monge said. The drug works by reducing the elevated left ventricular outflow tract gradient, which obstructs blood flow in the heart.

Plozasiran is a first-in-class RNA interference therapy candidate targeting two conditions: familial chylomicronemia syndrome, a rare disorder, and severe hypertriglyceridemia, which affects about 20 million Chinese people.

Patients with elevated triglyceride levels can develop acute pancreatitis. In very severe cases, more than 30 percent of patients with severe acute pancreatitis can die, Monge explained. Existing treatments, such as fish oil, reduce triglycerides by only 30 to 40 percent, which is insufficient to prevent complications.

In contrast, plozasiran reduced triglyceride levels by 80 percent in Phase III studies, with an 83 percent lower risk of developing acute pancreatitis compared with the placebo.

From Pipeline to Patients 

Despite the promising clinical results, commercialization faces substantial obstacles. Less than 20 percent of people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in China are properly diagnosed, according to Monge.

"When you bring an innovative product, people don't know about it," she said. It is thus necessary to educate patients about the science behind it and the mode of action, as well as educate the clinical physicians about the diagnosis, she noted. 

Fragmented care poses another challenge. Patients often receive treatment at Tier-3 hospitals far from home, leading to interrupted care. "When they go to the place where they live, sometimes there are interruptions of care," Monge said. “We need to work together with the stakeholders and the clinicians to make sure that we follow the patients across the different ecosystems of the hospitals.”

Sanofi is addressing these challenges by partnering with Chinese hospitals and professional societies to establish comprehensive care pathways covering early screening, precise diagnosis, rapid intervention, and standardized management. It is also exploring flexible reimbursement schemes and accelerating supply chain localization.

China-Centered Innovation

The collaborations with Chinese peers signal a strategic evolution for Sanofi, which has partnered with Cathay Capital to launch Sanofi–Cathay Healthcare Innovation Fund to identify early-stage molecules and has worked with Chinese scientists and venture capital firms to advance therapies aligned with Healthy China 2030 objectives.

"We are working with Chinese scientists, Chinese venture capital," Monge said. "And this is all done in the search for more treatment options that we can bring to China to address China's needs and Healthy China 2030 objectives." 

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality in China, affecting over 330 million patients, with the burden expected to grow as the population ages.

"Economic development leads to changes in lifestyle and changes in diet that, unfortunately, leads to many conditions our society is facing today," Monge pointed out. "Another thing is that in China and other markets, we see that the problem is going to multiply because the society is aging.”

"Now we are bringing the new horizon with the new innovation therapies, looking in the cardiovascular field and more other fields where there are so many unmet needs from the past that have been met," Monge noted.

Editor: Futura Costaglione