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 The collaboration between GSK's HIV unit ViiV Healthcare and Desano
marks an improvement in the business climate for the British
drugmaker, which was fined a record 3 billion yuan ($484 million) in
September for bribing Chinese doctors.
At the time, GSK promised to boost access to its medicines in the
country by expanding local production and adopting flexible pricing.
However, a ViiV spokesman said the negotiations with Desano predated
this commitment.
Under the agreement announced by ViiV on Thursday, Desano will
manufacture the active pharmaceutical ingredient for Tivicay, or
dolutegravir, to feed into the GSK/ViiV supply chain for onward sale
in China and other developing countries.
ViiV said the move would allow it to offer a "competitive" supply of
finished product, without specifying the scale of price discount.
The spokesman said the drug's price in China would be in line with
that charged in poor countries.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Mark Potter)
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