Zhitong Financial APP News, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (02196) announced that Jinzhou Aohong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Aohong Pharmaceutical), a subsidiary of the company, launched a phase II clinical trial of ET-26 (methoxyetomidate hydrochloride for injection) for general anesthesia induction in adults in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the same below).

The new drug was transferred by the group (that is, the company and its holding subsidiary / unit, the same below) before clinical treatment, and subsequently developed jointly with West China Hospital of Sichuan University. The new drug is an imidazole intravenous general anesthetic intended for induction of general anesthesia, sedation during short surgery and diagnostic examination, or sedation in intensive care patients. As of the date of this announcement, phase Ia and Ib clinical trials of the new drug for general anesthesia induction in adults have been completed in China.

The new drug is an intravenous general anesthetic, and similar drugs are propofol and etomidate (hereinafter collectively referred to as "similar drugs"). As of the date of this announcement, similar drugs listed in China mainly include AstraZeneca UK Limited's propofol injection, Jiangsu Enhua Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Fulli (etomidate emulsion injection) and so on. According to IQVIA CHPA data (provided by IQVIA, IQVIA CHPA data represents the hospital drug sales market with more than 100 beds in China, the actual sales situation of different drugs may be different from IQVIA CHPA data due to their different sales channel layout), the sales of similar drugs in China will be about RMB 4.155 billion in 2021.

As of May 2022, the Group's cumulative R & D investment for the new drug at this stage is RMB 30.76 million (unaudited).