SciClone Pharmaceuticals is a China-centric specialty pharmaceutical company focused on therapies for oncology and infectious diseases, along with cardiovascular, urological, respiratory, and central nervous system disorders. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered south of San Francisco in Foster City, California.
SciClone’s flagship product, ZADAXIN® (thymalfasin), is approved in over 30 countries for the treatment of hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), as a vaccine adjuvant, and for certain cancers. The product has seen steady growth since its introduction to China in the mid-1990s. Besides ZADAXIN, the company markets about 20 products in China, mostly through partnerships, including Depakine®, the most widely prescribed broad-spectrum anti-convulsant in China, Tritace®, an ACE inhibitor for the treatment of hypertension, Stilnox®, a fast-acting hypnotic for the short-term treatment of insomnia (marketed as Ambien® in the US), and Aggrastat®, a recently-launched intervention cardiology product.
SciClone also has a strong pipeline of product candidates, 10 of which are in clinical trials or in other stages of regulatory approval in China. On the development side, SciClone is evaluating SCV-07 in a phase 2b trial to modify the course of oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer.
The company’s April, 2011, acquisition of NovaMed Pharmaceuticals, a China based pharmaceutical company, represented a significant near-term boost in revenues, strengthening SciClone’s balance sheet and their overall position in China.
SciClone’s growth over the years can be traced to a history of talented leadership from people who have gone on to play key roles in the industry, such as Shawn Singh who served in many key positions in the early development of SciClone. Mr. Singh is currently the CEO of VistaGen Therapeutics (OTCBB: VSTA), a California biotechnology company primiarly focused on using proprietary stem cell technologies for drug rescue and cell therapy. SciClone’s current President and CEO is Friedhelm Blobel, Ph.D., who has had an extensive pharmaceutical career supporting operations in the U.S. and Asia.
For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.SciClone.com
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