Chi-Med Arthritis Drug Spurs Interest From Possible Partners
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Hutchison China MediTech Ltd. has attracted interest from potential partners for an experimental drug to treat blood cancers and arthritis, similar to a medicine acquired by AbbVie Inc., Chief Executive Officer Christian Hogg said.
The London-listed drugmaker known as Chi-Med, backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, is developing a drug dubbed HMPL-523. It’s closely related to Imbruvica, a medicine that prompted AbbVie to buy Pharmacyclics Inc. for $21 billion earlier this year. That drug is only approved to treat blood cancers, and Chi-Med sees its competing compound also working for rheumatoid arthritis at lower doses, Hogg said Thursday in an interview in London.