The 10th CAAE International Epilepsy Forum hosted by the Chinese Anti-Epilepsy Association was grandly held in Nanchang from 15th to 17th December, 2023. Over 1700 authoritative experts from China and other countries/regions gathered together to exchange and discuss the hot topics in international epilepsy research and the frontiers of neuroscience, share academic feasts, and explore domain development.
Adhering to its mission of providing competitive products and services to meet unmet medical needs, China Medical System (“CMS”) showcased its innovative drug Diazepam Nasal Spray (VALTOCO) at the conference. VALTOCO provides a more optimal and convenient choice for the acute treatment of cluster/acute recurrent seizures in domestic epilepsy patients.
CMS’s Diazepam Nasal Spray (VALTOCO) Debuts at the 10th International Epilepsy Forum of CAAE
Perseverance Leads to Success, Epilepsy Emergency Rescue Acquiring New Progress
During the three-day conference, many scholars brought fascinating academic reports on the hot and difficult issues in current epilepsy treatment, covering the latest research dynamics and progress in anti-epileptic drug development in neurology and neurosurgery at home and abroad, bringing more insights and methods to epilepsy treatment in China.
On December 16th, during the conference, a long-awaited academic seminar was launched among many domestic experts and scholars in the field of epilepsy. The seminar conducted in-depth discussions on the specialized topic of “Epilepsy Out-of-hospital Emergency Rescue”, detailing the ideal choice of emergency agents for epilepsy outside the medical setting by demonstrating the advantageous characteristic of epilepsy emergency agents, the diazepam formulations development, the core patents of diazepam intranasal spray formulation and its clinical benefits. At the same time, the seminar announced the plan of a real-world clinical study for Diazepam Nasal Spray (VALTOCO) to help more Chinese patients regain vitality with about 10,000 cases expected to be enrolled in China.
Mr. Jiang Qingfu, General Manager of Cardio-cerebrovascular/ Gastroenterology Business (Shenzhen Kangzhe), said, “I’m glad to be able to showcase our innovative achievements at this forum. Only with the right drug used in the right way can we provide dosing convenience and rapid onset for cluster seizures in epilepsy patients, filling the gap in epilepsy emergency rescue outside the medical setting. Diazepam Nasal Spray (VALTOCO) can meet the clinical needs of acute treatment of cluster/acute recurrent seizures in Chinese children and adults aged 6 and above, and we will accelerate its commercialization process by promoting related academic exchange activities and comprehensive network coverage, to escort more Chinese epilepsy patients.”
China’s First Drug for Cluster Seizures Formally Launches Large-scale Clinical Application, Benefiting Tens of Millions of Epilepsy Patients
In June 2023, VALTOCO was approved for marketing in China, becoming the first diazepam nasal spray in China, and it is indicated for the acute treatment of intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (i.e. seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) that are distinct from a patient’s usual seizure pattern in patients with epilepsy 6 years of age and older.
On December 13, CMS announced that Diazepam Nasal Spray (VALTOCO) has been included in the category B of National Reimbursement Drug List, which shall be officially implemented from January 1, 2024.
VALTOCO is a proprietary formulation of diazepam administered through the nasal mucosa, and has high bioavailability, outstanding absorbability, tolerance and reliability. Product formulation incorporates a combination of Vitamin E-based solvents and Intravail® absorption enhancer. Intravail® transmucosal absorption enhancement technology enables the non-invasive delivery of a broad range of proteins, peptides and small-molecule drugs. VALTOCO can be administered intranasally anytime and anywhere under prescription from a doctor and guidance from medical staff, with the characteristic of convenience and optimization through intranasal administration. The Product can meet current clinical needs for accessible and convenient treatment option of domestic epilepsy patients with seizure clusters.
Uniting efforts to advance epilepsy research and jointly building a “Healthy China”
The treatment of epilepsy still has a long way to go. This CAAE International Epilepsy Forum focuses on key and hot issues in the field of epilepsy as well as the latest progress in the academic world, encouraging neurology academic peers nationwide to jointly focus on new advances in basic and clinical research, and high-quality and high-efficiency promotion of the development of epilepsy research in China, with the goal of bringing better therapeutic programs to patients and jointly contributing to the building of a “Healthy China”.
In addition, during the conference, in order to improve the understanding and cognition of epilepsy among patients and the public, and to help patients receive proper treatment and education, CMS reached a strategic cooperation with the China Anti-Epilepsy Association to establish the “CAAE-CMS Patients Caring Fund”. In the future, CMS will continue to support projects of the “CAAE-CMS Patients Caring Fund” to promote various forms of publicity, public education and charity clinics, assist patient education and improve disease management. At the same time, it will help strengthen international exchanges on clinical treatment of epilepsy diseases and promote the standardization of emergency rescue outside the medical setting and diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
CMS Reaches Strategic Cooperation with the Chinese Anti-Epilepsy Association
As a platform company linking pharmaceutical innovation and commercialization with strong product lifecycle management capability, CMS is dedicated to providing competitive products and services to meet unmet healthcare needs. CMS leverages its own commercialization capabilities and clinical resources with scale effect to extensively cooperate with global innovation force to jointly develop innovative pharmaceutical products with academic value and differentiated advantages, improving Chinese patients’ accessibility to global innovative drugs. After over five years of R&D investment and advancement, in 2023, 3 of CMS’ innovative products were successfully approved for marketing in China, 2 innovative products are under NDA review in China, and more than 10 innovative products are steadily advancing China registration clinical trials with RCTs mainly. CMS expects to continuously generate innovative pharmaceutical products with differentiated clinical value.
CMS is always aiming to support and benefit all the patients. So far this year, a total of 5 drugs including Diazepam Nasal Spray (VALTOCO) of CMS have been included or continued to be included in the National Reimbursement Drug List , which will further improve the accessibility and affordability of high-quality drugs, benefiting more domestic patients.
The exploration of innovation is a long way to go. CMS will fulfill its responsibilities and mission as a pharmaceutical practitioner, continue focusing on “Innovation-driven” and “Patient Needs-oriented”, increase innovative investment, enhance research capabilities, promote more innovative drugs in the pipeline to clinical development and marketing approval, bringing more good products to clinical practitioners and patients, and contributing CMS’s responsibilities and strengths to the development of China’s healthcare industry and the building of a “Healthy China”.