2022

MegaPro, CCPC, and Wellbridge Jointly Establishes an Inhalation Dosage Form Company

MegaPro, CCPC, and Wellbridge Jointly Establishes an Inhalation Dosage Form Company

MegaPro Biomedical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "MegaPro", Taiwan OTC Stock Code: 6827) and China Chemical & Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TWSE: 1701, referred to as “CCPC”) jointly announced an agreement with Wellbridge Biotech Ltd.  (hereinafter referred to as “Wellbridge”) to sign a compact to establish a joint venture company — Trium Therapeutics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Trium"). MegaPro will hold 30% of Trium, CCPC will hold 40%, and Wellbridge will hold a 30% stake; the chairman and general manager will be appointed by CCPC and MegaPro respectively.

MegaPro states that the newly established Trium will focus on the development of new drugs in new dosage forms of inhalation dosage forms.  In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have been looking for non-invasive routes of administration (such as nasal cavity or lung) to improve the patients’ convenience and comfort when taking medicines, while increasing the bioavailability of the principal components.  This has become a popular field of current pharmaceutical preparation, and it is also the main research and development goal of the three companies' joint venture to establish Trium.

According to a market survey report on inhalers by DATA BRIDGE, a professional research machine, the market size is expected to reach 42.1 billion US dollars by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.87%.  The growth mainly results from the fact that as patients inhale preparations into the lungs, the main components of the drug can be quickly absorbed due to the characteristics of the large contact area of the lungs and the densely positioned blood capillaries within, which allows the main components of the drug to be quickly absorbed.  This can greatly improve the convenience and therapeutic effect of drug usage, and in addition to the simplicity and convenience of using inhalation dosage forms, related applications of inhaled dosage forms are expected to continue to flourish in the coming years.

MegaPro states that in this collaboration case, the company will use its expertise in improving drug delivery technology in new drugs in new dosage forms to develop various dosage forms of inhaled preparations through nano-platform technology, and it also plans to carry out relevant animal experiments and human clinical trials; CCPC owns GMP-producing pharmaceutical factories and sales channels at home and abroad. In the future, it will be responsible for the mass production and preparation of drugs required for clinical trials and the marketing of medicines once it enters the market in the future; Wellbridge is a Chinese company that specializes in medical nebulizers which would provide technical information required for the development of inhalation dosage forms, in addition to the supplying required equipment for inhalation dosage forms.

Dr. Jassy Wang, general manager of MegaPro, states, "Trium Therapeutics combines MegaPro BioMedical Co.'s nano dosage form technology, Wellbridge Biotech Ltd.’s unique design and manufacturing technology of nebulizer equipment, and China Chemical & Pharmaceutical Co. Group's drug development and manufacturing capabilities.  The combination of the three parties, having established a strong technical and business foundation, will surely offer more effective, safe, and easy-to-use drug products to patients in the future.  MegaPro BioMedical Co. is honored to have the opportunity to work with two outstanding companies in the development of inhalation preparations.”

Wu Zhiyong, general manager of CCPC, states, "Technology related to the development and production of oral dosage forms are relatively well-developed and widely used by generic drug manufacturing pharmaceutical companies.  Therefore, how to expand special treatment pathways, develop new fields of treatment, and break through the therapeutic limitations of oral fast-acting and long-acting preparations has become the next phase of development in the pharmaceutical industry.  This collaboration case combines the development of special dosage forms of MegaPro BioMedical Co., the technology of Wellbridge Biotech Ltd.’s inhalation device, and the mass production and quality control capabilities of China Chemical & Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and it will surely become a paragon for Taiwan's pharmaceutical companies to enter new drug research and development. ”

Trium has now completed the screening of drug candidates and indications and the preliminary animal tests. In the future, research and development processes such as stability tests, scale-up, GLP animal tests, and clinical phase I trials of related drugs are to be carried out according to the planned schedule. We look forward to showing dedication and contributing to the convenience of medicines and the effect of treatment.