Everest Medicines launches VELSIPITY in Mainland China after NMPA approval
Everest Medicines launched VELSIPITY in Mainland China after NMPA approval on February 2, 2026. The first prescription was issued at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
Everest Medicines announced the commercial launch of VELSIPITY® in Mainland China, highlighted by the issuance of the first prescription at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. China’s National Medical Products Administration approved VELSIPITY® on February 2, 2026, for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis who have had an inadequate response, lost response, or were intolerant to either conventional therapy or a biologic agent.
As a once-daily oral therapy with sustained efficacy, a favorable safety profile, and the ability to achieve deep mucosal healing, VELSIPITY® offers a novel treatment option for patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. VELSIPITY® is a next-generation, highly selective S1P receptor modulator.
In the ENLIGHT UC study, the clinical remission rate at week 40 of the maintenance period reached 48.1%, and the deep mucosal healing rate reached 51.9%, with an endoscopic mucosal normalization rate of 45.5%. Results from the ELEVATE UC open-label extension demonstrate continuous treatment with VELSIPITY® for up to 3 years resulted in 86.8% of patients achieving a clinical response among the observed cases, with both clinical remission and mucosal healing rates maintained at approximately 60%. Safety data extending up to five years from the global clinical program further confirm that VELSIPITY® is well tolerated and maintains a favorable and stable safety profile.
Under the Hong Kong and Macao Drug and Medical Devices Transit policy, VELSIPITY® has been introduced into clinical use in the Greater Bay Area, where real-world outcomes have demonstrated efficacy and safety consistent with those observed in clinical trials. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, relapsing, non-specific inflammatory bowel disease characterized by symptoms such as mucus and blood in the stool, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal tenesmus.
The patient population in China is projected to grow from approximately 0.98 million in 2025 to 1.50 million by 2031. Recent attention on Everest Medicines has been shaped by company specific news around its drug pipeline, licensing partnerships and regulatory milestones. The stock last closed at HK$39.26, with returns of 2.2% over 30 days, 3.6% year to date, and a 12.8% decline over 1 year.