VFMCRP and Fresenius Kabi expand collaboration in nephrology in China with Veltassa® agreement
19.11.2020 09:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Regulatory News:
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201118005914/en/
Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) and Fresenius Kabi today announced an agreement to develop, register and distribute Veltassa® for the treatment of hyperkalemia in the People’s Republic of China. Under the agreement, Fresenius Kabi will have the exclusive right to distribute and sell Veltassa® across China.
Stefan Schulze, CEO of Vifor Pharma Group comments, “We are delighted to expand VFMCRP’s collaboration with Fresenius Kabi. There is a high prevalence of CKD and heart failure in China3 and hyperkalemia is one of the most common complications associated with these two conditions. As a result there is a high demand for an effective, proven hyperkalemia treatment. The excellent commercial infrastructure, the well established relationships in nephrology and our existing successful collaboration make Fresenius Kabi our partner of choice to provide Veltassa® to patients.”
Oskar Haszonits, President Region Asia Pacific of Fresenius Kabi said, “This agreement is an important step in intensifying our collaboration and relationship with VFMCRP in nephrology. We believe Veltassa® has the potential to provide many benefits to patients across the country, and we look forward to adding it to our portfolio and working with VFMCRP.”
Hyperkalemia is a serious medical condition characterized by elevated levels of potassium in the blood and can be associated with life-threatening consequences. Patients with CKD and heart failure, especially those treated with RAAS (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system) inhibitors are at particular risk of developing hyperkalemia. As a consequence, RAASi therapy, the cornerstone of treatment for CKD and heart failure, is often reduced or discontinued, compromising cardio-renal protection. By bringing Veltassa® to China, VFMCRP and Fresenius Kabi will deliver a treatment that will enable patients to remain on RAASi therapy by managing their chronic hyperkalemia.
Fresenius Kabi is a global healthcare company that specializes in medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition. In China, the company is among the top 10 multinational pharmaceutical companies, being a market leader in clinical nutrition, anesthesia and nephrology. Fresenius Kabi has around 6,000 employees in China.
Both parties have agreed to not disclose financial terms of the collaboration.
Vifor Pharma Group is a global pharmaceuticals company. It aims to become the global leader in iron deficiency, nephrology and cardio-renal therapies. The company is a partner of choice for pharmaceuticals and innovative patient-focused solutions. Vifor Pharma Group strives to help patients around the world with severe and chronic diseases lead better, healthier lives. The company develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products for precision patient care. Vifor Pharma Group holds a leading position in all its core business activities and consists of the following companies: Vifor Pharma and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (a joint company with Fresenius Medical Care). Vifor Pharma Group is headquartered in Switzerland, and listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX Swiss Exchange, VIFN, ISIN: CH0364749348).
For more information, please visit viforpharma.com
Fresenius Kabi is a global healthcare company that specializes in lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition. The company’s products and services are used to help care for critically and chronically ill patients. Fresenius Kabi’s product portfolio comprises a comprehensive range of I.V. generic drugs, infusion therapies and clinical nutrition products as well as the devices for administering these products. In the field of biosimilars, Fresenius Kabi focuses on autoimmune diseases and oncology. In 2019, the first biosimilar product by Fresenius Kabi was launched. Within transfusion medicine and cell therapies, Fresenius Kabi offers products for collection of blood components and extracorporeal therapies.
With its corporate philosophy of "caring for life", the company is committed to putting essential medicines and technologies in the hands of people who help patients and finding the best answers to the challenges they face.
For more information, please visit www.fresenius-kabi.com.
About Hyperkalemia
Approximately 73% of advanced Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and 40% of chronic heart failure patients may be at risk of elevated blood potassium levels4. Hyperkalemia can cause abnormal heart rhythms and even sudden death5. There are often no warning signs, meaning a person can unknowingly experience spikes in potassium levels recurrently and be at risk for these cardiac events. Some medicines that are often prescribed to people with CKD and heart failure to help delay progression of their underlying disease and reduce mortality can cause hyperkalemia as a side effect. These may include RAASi such as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), aldosterone antagonists (AAs) and angiotensin converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors as well as angiotensin II receptor/neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI).
About Veltassa®
Veltassa® is a potassium binder approved for the treatment of hyperkalemia. Veltassa® was specially designed to exchange calcium rather than sodium for potassium ions, ensuring suitability for patients who cannot tolerate even small increases in sodium.Veltassa® should not replace emergency treatment for life-threatening hyperkalemia. Made in powder form, Veltassa® is mixed with water and taken once a day with or without food. Veltassa® is consisting of smooth, spherical, uniform microbeads too large to be absorbed, thus protecting the gastrointestinal tract. Veltassa® works primarily in the lumen of the colon where potassium concentration is highest, and the residence time of the polymer is the longest. The potassium is then excreted from the body through the normal excretion process.
1 Veltassa® EU SmPC 2019
2 Agarwal R, et al. Lancet 2019;394:1540–50.
3 Zhang et al. Lancet. 2012 Mar 3;379(9818):815-22; Guo et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2016; 13: E770. Guo et al. Curr Cardiol Rev. 2013 May; 9(2): 112–122.
4 Rosano GCM, et al. Expert consensus document on the management of hyperkalaemia in patients with cardiovascular disease treated with renin angiotensin aldosterone system inhibitors: coordinated by the Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy of the European Society of Cardiology. Eur Heart J 2018;4:180-188.
5 Rastegar A, Soleimani M. Hypokalaemia and hyperkalaemia. Postgrad Med J. 2001;77:759-764.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201118005914/en/
Contact information
Media Relations
Nathalie Ponnier
Global Head Corporate Communications
+41 79 957 96 73
media@viforpharma.com
Investor Relations
Julien Vignot
Head of Investor Relations
+41 58 851 66 90
investors@viforpharma.com
Fresenius Contact:
Media Relations
Martin Kunze
Corporate Communications
Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA
Else-Kröner-Str. 1
61352 Bad Homburg, Germany
+49 6172 60 82 115
martin.kunze@fresenius.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Smartstream Smart Agents Delivers 70% Reduction in Back-Office Investigation Time, Proving the Case for Autonomous Operations26.3.2026 11:30:00 EET | Press release
Smartstream, the trusted data solutions provider for leading global financial institutions and enterprises, today announces that Smart Agents - its agentic AI solution for bank back-office operations is delivering measurable, transformational impact, with pilot results showing a 70% reduction in investigation time per user, per break. As the industry accelerates toward a service as software (SaS) operating model, and allowing more work to get done from software solutions, Smartstream is embracing this approach with agentic AI. The results validate a fundamental shift in how financial institutions approach exception management. In one benchmark scenario, the manual processing of 500 exceptions, typically requiring 116 hours of team effort, was reduced to just a few hours under fully autonomous operations. This eliminates swivel-chair workflows and frees up teams to focus on risk oversight, decision making, and higher-value activities. Institutions continue to struggle with back-office w
Hytera Introduces PNC660 450MHz: New Device Certified for Power and Energy Mission-Critical Networks26.3.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Hytera Communications, a leading global provider of critical communications technologies and solutions, unveiled the PNC660 450MHz MCX Smart Device – an advanced mission-critical terminal for private 450MHz LTE and 5G networks at MWC Barcelona. Combining broadband voice, video, and data services with multi-layer security, the PNC660 450MHz enables reliable communications across wide operational areas while supporting evolving mission-critical broadband needs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260325346069/en/ Hytera PNC660 450MHz MCX Smart Device for mission-critical 450 MHz networks. The device has also been whitelisted by 450connect, validating its compatibility with dedicated 450MHz broadband networks and readiness for commercial deployment for power, energy providers, and other critical infrastructure. Wide-Area Coverage with Dedicated 450MHz Networks The 450MHz spectrum offers excellent propagation and buil
Infobip Supports Thousands of Startups and Scaleups Through Startup Tribe Programme26.3.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Global AI-first cloud communications platform Infobip, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has supported thousands of startups and scaleups from over 120 countries in the first five years of its Startup Tribe Programme. Infobip launched its Startup Tribe Programme in May 2021 to help mission-driven startups and scaleups to build and manage their customer communications and engagement strategy and grow their business. It does this by providing access up to $60,000 in credits for Infobip’s services and its global network of advisors, investors, and accelerators. In the first five year, Infobip has provided millions in the value of products and services to its programme members. By eliminating the need to build a global communications infrastructure from the ground up, Infobip’s programme enables startups and scaleups to focus on what really matters: developing their product and scaling their business. Startup Tribe member Ilija Milovic, Co-Founder & CTO at cloud property
LTM Positioned as a Leader in ISG’s Provider Lens™ Evaluation for Oracle Cloud and Technology Ecosystem 202526.3.2026 10:58:00 EET | Press release
LTM, the Business Creativity partner to the world’s largest enterprises, has been recognized as a Leader in multiple quadrants in the ISG Provider Lens™ Oracle Cloud and Technology Ecosystem 2025 reports for both the United States and Europe by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm. The ISG Provider Lens™ study evaluates leading Oracle ecosystem service providers across critical capability areas, including: Professional Services Managed Services OCI Solutions and Capabilities LTM’s positioning as a Leader across key quadrants in both regions reflects its strong Oracle ecosystem expertise, AI-led transformation approach, and proven track record in delivering large-scale enterprise cloud modernization programs. In its 2025 study, ISG highlights that the Oracle ecosystem is undergoing a fundamental shift toward AI-native architectures, multicloud-by-design strategies, and asset-based delivery models, with sovereignty and regulatory compli
Bureau Veritas Strengthens Global Sustainable Finance Capabilities with Expanded Climate Bonds Approved Verifier Status26.3.2026 09:30:00 EET | Press release
Bureau Veritas, a global leader in Testing, Inspection, and Certification services (TIC), is pleased to announce the expansion of its geographical scope as an Approved Verifier under the Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme. Additional offices in China, Japan, India, and France are now formally listed in the Climate Bonds Verifiers Directory. This expansion builds on Bureau Veritas’ established role since the approval of its Brazilian office in 2020, further enhancing its ability to support issuers with high-quality, independent verification services across key markets. “Our expanded presence as an Approved Verifier under the Climate Bonds Standard reinforces Bureau Veritas’ commitment to advancing credible, high‑integrity sustainable finance”, said Marc Roussel, Executive Vice President, Urbanization and Assurance at Bureau Veritas. “With verifier capabilities available across key markets, we continue to deliver local expertise with global assurance standards; boosting mark
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom