• Luye Pharma has granted DCH Auriga Singapore exclusive distribution and marketing rights for Seroquel^® and Seroquel XR^® in Singapore.
• The two companies pledge to make joint effort to raise awareness of mental health issues as part of the "We Care About Mental Health" initiative.

SINGAPORE, Dec. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Luye Pharma Group, an international pharmaceutical company dedicated to the R&D, manufacturing and sale of innovative medications has entered a distribution partnership with DCH Auriga, an Asian-based integrated market management provider specializing in healthcare. According to the terms of the agreement, Luye Pharma grants Auriga exclusive distribution and marketing rights for Seroquel^® (quetiapine fumarate, immediate release formulation) and Seroquel XR^® (extended release formulation) in Singapore. Seroquel^® used for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, is recommended by several authorized guidelines around the world.

The agreement was signed at Singapore, with both parties officially marking the start of the partnership and further pledging to make joint efforts to raise awareness of mental health issues as part of the "We Care About Mental Health" APAC initiative. The regional initiative aims to raise awareness of mental health issues, supporting patients, physicians and health systems in meeting patient needs.

Luye Pharma and DCH Auriga sign partnership agreement and launch the "We Care About Mental Health" initiative (From left to right: Mr. Rajesh Sehgal, Vice President, South East Asia, DCH Auriga; Mr. Andy Siow, Regional Commercial Director, Luye Pharma APAC)

Mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety have become major public health problems affecting global public health. According to survey data from Singapore, the prevalence rate of common mental diseases is 13.9% among local adults aged 18 and above, showing an increasing trend^[1]; and the prevalence of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are about 1.6% and 1%, respectively. According to the Wunderman Thompson's Health Study 2021, 68% of Singaporeans believe there is a stigma against mental health issues^[2]. The number of psychiatric patients who do not seek medical assistance is still high. Therefore, strengthening prevention, early treatment and counseling are extremely important for patients to return to society as soon as possible and reduce the societal impact.

In order to raise public awareness of mental health issues, Luye Pharma and partners jointly launched the "We Care About Mental Health" initiative in the Asia Pacific region in 2020. The annual Asia Pacific Psychiatry Symposium organized by Luye Pharma for Healthcare Professionals successfully took place each year since 2020. More than 1000 physicians from 10 different Asia Pacific countries and regions participated, speaking about schizophrenia and bipolar disorder disease management.

"Mental health is a serious global public health challenge that requires a sustained and united response from us all. The 'We Care About Mental Health' regional initiative aims to raise awareness and dispel prejudices, provide insights on the available treatment options and emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems. We are glad to have Auriga join this project." said Andy Siow, APAC Regional Director of Luye Pharma (International), "Auriga is an experienced and specialized Asian-based distributor. This cooperation will further enhance the accessibility of the CNS products of Luye Pharma in the Southeast Asian market. As we deepen our market coverage across the Asia-Pacific, we look forward to providing more independent innovative drugs in the near future."

"Auriga aims to make the world's leading medicines and healthcare solutions more easily and readily available across Asia. This distribution partnership with Luye Pharma enables DCH Auriga to expand our positive impact on thousands of patients living with mental health challenges." said Rajesh Sehgal, Vice President, SEA, DCH Auriga. "We are also very proud and committed to be part of Luye's "We care about mental health" campaign to raise public awareness and reduce social stigma faced by patients. We hope to build a strong mutual understanding and accumulate experience to lay the foundation, for a strong partnership with opportunities to introduce more of Luye Pharma's innovative products to Asian patients."

About Luye Pharma Group

Luye Pharma Group is an international pharmaceutical company dedicated to the R&D, manufacturing and sale of innovative medications. The company has established R&D centers in China, the U.S. and Europe, with a robust pipeline of over 30 drug candidates in China and more than 10 drug candidates in other international markets. Along with a number of new drugs and new formulations in the central nervous system and oncology therapeutic areas under study in the U.S., Europe and Japan, Luye Pharma maintains high-level international standards in novel drug delivery technologies including microspheres, liposomes, and transdermal drug delivery systems. The company has achieved multiple innovations in new chemical entities and antibodies, and is also actively making strategic developments in the fields of cell therapies and gene therapies.

Luye Pharma is developing a global supply chain of 8 manufacturing sites with over 30 production lines in total, establishing GMP quality management and international standard control systems. With more than 30 products covering the central nervous system, oncology, cardiovascular, metabolism and other therapeutic areas, business is conducted in over 80 countries and regions around the world, including the largest pharmaceutical markets - China, the U.S., Europe and Japan, as well as in fast growing emerging markets.

About DCH Auriga

Auriga is an Asian-based integrated market management provider specialising in healthcare. We aim to connect the world's leading healthcare and life sciences companies to care providers and patients across Asia with a comprehensive range of responsible and effective market management solutions.

For over 50 years, we've helped our partners bring essential pharmaceutical and life science offerings to Asia with ethical integrity, partnership and transparency. Offering both commercial and logistics solutions, Auriga has operations in Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. In alignment with our mission to enrich lives with quality care, we distribute more than 500 brands at over 10,000 points of sale.

References

1. M Subramaniam etc. Tracking the mental health of a nation: prevalence and correlates of mental disorders in the second Singapore mental health study. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2019 Apr 5;29:e29. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30947763/

2. Wunderman Thompson. Well: Singapore. Taking The Pulse of The National Health. June, 2021.

Source: Luye Pharma Group