SFDA accepts Bronchitol trial application

Australian drugmaker Pharmaxis says that China's State Food and Drug Administration has accepted its application to conduct a clinical trial of the drug Bronchitol (mannitol). The agent is being developed as a treatment for the incurable lung condition bronchiectasis, which is thought to occur at a particularly high rate in China.

Under Chinese law, all pharmaceutical firms wishing to sell drugs in the country are required to conduct clinical trials in Chinese populations. Pharmaxis chief executive Alan Robertson said that the country represents an "outstanding opportunity" for the firm, adding that "a number of leading Chinese respiratory physicians have indicated that they wish to conduct bronchiectasis studies."