Two new drugs enter medical insurance for the first time, one contract renewed, EVEREST MED (01952) accelerates its multi-product commercialization system.

On November 14, EVEREST MED's (01952) Velsipity (etrasimod arginine tablets) and Xerava (eravacycline hydrochloride for injection) passed the national medical insurance negotiation and were included for the first time in the National Basic Medical Insurance, Work-Related Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance Drug Catalog (2026), with the new catalog to be officially implemented from January 1, 2027. At the same time, its IgA nephropathy disease-modifying treatment Nefecon (budesonide enteric-coated capsules) successfully renewed its contract and remains in the catalog. To date, EVEREST MED has three products included in the national medical insurance catalog, covering areas such as ulcerative colitis, complicated intra-abdominal infections, and IgA nephropathy, with Velsipity achieving medical insurance inclusion in its first year on the market. Industry observers note that the first-time inclusion of two innovative drugs in medical insurance and the successful renewal of one product further enrich EVEREST MED's commercialized product portfolio. With the implementation of the new catalog and the continued advancement of localized production of innovative drugs, the company's multi-product commercialization system is expected to enter a new stage of development. Two innovative drugs enter medical insurance for the first time, filling medication gaps in two major areas The two drugs newly included in medical insurance this time target two major clinical pain points: ulcerative colitis and drug-resistant bacterial infections. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory disease with an unclear etiology that is prone to relapse, and its disease burden continues to worsen. Velsipity is China's first and only approved sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator for the treatment of UC, administered as a once-daily oral dose, providing a new treatment option for adult patients with moderately to severely active UC who have had an inadequate response, loss of response, or intolerance to conventional therapy or biologics. In the largest Asian multicenter Phase III clinical study (ENLIGHT UC) conducted to date in patients with moderately to severely active UC, Velsipity achieved a 52-week mucosal healing rate of 51.9%, with long-term follow-up showing a favorable safety profile. Professor Wu Kaichun, lead investigator of the Asia-Pacific clinical trial of Velsipity, member and treasurer of the Executive Committee of the World Gastroenterology Organisation, vice president of the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology, vice chairman of the 10th and 11th sessions of the Chinese Society of Gastroenterology of the Chinese Medical Association, and of the Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Air Force Medical University, stated that China's UC disease burden continues to worsen, and traditional therapies have limitations such as limited efficacy and high relapse rates; approved biologics and small-molecule treatments also face issues of an "efficacy ceiling" and "loss of response." As a new-generation highly selective S1P receptor modulator, Velsipity can achieve rapid onset of action and deep mucosal healing, balancing efficacy, safety, and convenience, and he looks forward to its medical insurance inclusion effectively reducing the long-term treatment burden on patients. The other new drug, Xerava, is the world's first and only fully synthetic fluorocycline antibacterial agent, used for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) in adults. It has been recommended by multiple domestic and international guidelines and consensus statements for empiric treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections and as a clinical option for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections; the World Health Organization (WHO) has included it in its list of antibiotics of medical importance. Professor Yu Yunsong, Qiushi Distinguished Professor of Zhejiang University, leading talent of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, and head of the infectious diseases discipline at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated with Zhejiang University School of Medicine, pointed out that clinical treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections and drug-resistant bacterial infections still faces significant challenges. The inclusion of eravacycline in medical insurance "addresses the clinical need for treating intra-abdominal infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (CRAB and CRE), especially mixed infections," and he looks forward to Xerava benefiting more patients after its medical insurance inclusion. He noted that CRAB and CRE are classified by WHO as the highest-level "critical priority" pathogens, with infection mortality rates reaching as high as over 40%; Xerava demonstrates strong antibacterial activity against these common multidrug-resistant bacteria, with overall good safety and tolerability and a relatively high clinical cure rate for complicated intra-abdominal infections caused by CRAB and CRE. Localization of production capacity advances, supporting multi-product development Notably, on the eve of announcing the innovative drugs' passing of the national medical insurance negotiation, a new 100mg specification of Xerava was approved by the National Medical Products Administration. This approval is regarded as an important milestone in the company's efforts to improve its product layout and expand commercialization potential, providing more flexible specification options for clinical use, reducing drug preparation operations and liquid waste, and further enhancing supply security capabilities. While accelerating commercialization, EVEREST MED is simultaneously advancing localization of its production. It is reported that the company's global manufacturing base in Jiashan has obtained a production license and is actively promoting localized production of Xerava to ensure stable supply, with the 50mg dosage form of Xerava having completed process validation. Relying on the Jiashan manufacturing base, the company continues to advance the construction and upgrading of production capacity, accelerating the localization of commercialized innovative products around its core therapeutic area portfolio, while simultaneously establishing active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production, continuously improving its production system from API to finished drug. In the future, the Jiashan manufacturing base will further enhance capacity allocation and production-supply coordination, strengthening the stability and resilience of the supply chain to support the company's long-term development. Luo Yongqing, Chief Executive Officer of EVEREST MED, stated that the inclusion of these two products in medical insurance is an important milestone in the company's commercialization process, reflecting national medical insurance's recognition of the clinical value of innovative drugs, and will significantly improve patient access to medications and reduce medication burdens. Next, the company will actively cooperate with the implementation of medical insurance policies in various regions, accelerate the localization of innovative products relying on the Jiashan manufacturing base, and enable world-leading therapies to better meet the clinical needs of Chinese patients.