Chronic respiratory diseases are among the major noncommunicable diseases in China. Two of the most common are asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), both of which lead to high unmet medical needs among the Chinese population. A national study shows that the country is estimated to have more than 45.7 million adults with asthma, only around 5.6 percent of whom have received proper treatment.¹ In addition, around 100 million Chinese people are suffering from COPD, accounting for 8.6 percent of the country’s adult population.²

“As a global leader with over 85 years of track record and expertise in treating respiratory diseases, Chiesi is fully committed to the care and improvement of patients’ quality of life,” said Davide Dalle Fusine, General Manager, Chiesi Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. “Through this new partnership with Bayer, we would further expand the access to benefit more patients in China. We are excited to join forces with Bayer and to contribute more in the management of chronic respiratory diseases.”

Chronic respiratory diseases, together with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, are prioritized by the Chinese central government in its Healthy China Action Plan in efforts to address major health challenges caused by the prevalence of chronic diseases.

“In support of the Healthy China strategy, Bayer is dedicated to fulfilling its commitment to advancing chronic disease management and providing comprehensive solutions by leveraging our expertise in healthcare complemented by external know-how through partnerships,” said Wei Jiang, Executive Vice President and President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals Region China & APAC and President of Bayer Group Greater China. “We are pleased that the partnership with Chiesi expands our efforts to a broader spectrum of respiratory diseases, which enables us to help more patients suffering from respiratory disease to benefit from Chiesi’s established treatments. Collaborating with outstanding partners like Chiesi is a cornerstone of Bayer's strategy to transform innovation into meaningful solutions for patients in China.”

In China, Clenil (beclometasone) is approved by the National Medical Products Administration for treating asthma and symptom relief of bronchus obstruction in adults and children. Foster (beclomethasone/formoterol) is approved in China for the regular treatment of asthma in adult patients. Foster utilizes Chiesi's proprietary Modulite^® technology, which creates an extra fine solution enabling more even distribution in the lung starting from a lower dose of corticosteroid.

Under the terms of the agreement, Chiesi and Bayer will collaborate to promote Clenil and Foster in China.

The Pharmaceuticals Business Development & Licensing team of Bayer facilitated this collaboration.

About Chiesi Group

Based in Parma, Italy, Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A is an international, research-focussed group (Chiesi Group) with 85 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical sector and present in 29 countries. The Group researches, develops and markets innovative drugs for respiratory therapies, special care and rare diseases. The Group’s Research and Development is based in Parma (Italy) and works alongside other key Chiesi research and development groups in France, the US, the UK and Sweden, promoting its own preclinical, clinical and registration programmes. The Group employs around 6,000 people. The Chiesi Group is a certified B Corp. For further information please visit www.chiesi.com. Chiesi Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd is the Chinese affiliate of Chiesi Group.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

1 Huang K, Yang T, Xu J, et al. Prevalence, risk factors, and management of asthma in China: a national cross-sectional study. Lancet 2019 Aug 3; 394(10196):407-418.

2 Wang C, Xu J, Yang L, et al. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in China (The China Pulmonary Health [CPH] Study): A National Cross-Sectional Study. Lancet 2018 April 28; 391(10131):1706-1717.