China’s National Medical Products Administration has approved Eli Lilly’s (LLY) mirikizumab for the treatment of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
The drug will be sold in the country under the name Antrol. Mirikizumab was approved in the US in 2023 and is sold under the name Omvoh.
Mirikizumab works by targeting the p19 subunit of the inflammatory cytokine IL-23.
Approval was based on the results of two phase 3 trials, VIVID-1 for Crohn’s and LUCENT for ulcerative colitis.
Lilly noted that based on Chinese epidemiological data, the prevalence of Crohn’s in the country is 3.39 cases per 100,000 people, and for ulcerative colitis, 17.24 cases per 100,000 people.
