UCB closes portfolio divestment and focuses on new launch in China

Belgium’s largest drugmaker UCB (Euronext: UCB) on Friday announced the successful closing of the sale, divestment and license of its mature neurology and allergy portfolio in China to CBC Group, Asia’s largest healthcare-focused asset management group, and Mubadala Investment Company for an enterprise value of $680 million, first announced earlier this year.

At the same time, UCB said it is shifting its strategy in China to focus on launching novel therapies to meet high unmet needs, starting from a commercialization agreement with the locally based biopharma company Bioray Pharmaceutical to bring Bimzelx (bimekizumab-bkzx) to patients across China. Bimzelx received regulatory approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in July 2024, followed by an approval in September for the treatment of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA).

BioRay, a leading autoimmune-focused company in China, boasts a robust R&D pipeline with 20 products, has four R&D centers in China and the USA, and 13 years of experience in manufacturing biologics. This win-win partnership further enables UCB to expand the reach of its recent innovations and ensures access to critical treatments for patients in need.