Everest Medicines and Hainan Herui Forge Commercialization Partnership for Budesonide Enteric Capsules in China
Key Insights
Everest Medicines (search) and Hainan Herui (search) have entered into a commercialization collaboration for budesonide enteric capsules in the Chinese mainland market, with Everest responsible for commercialization.
Hainan Herui (search)'s budesonide enteric capsules received NMPA approval in December 2025, and this partnership is expected to enhance patient access alongside Everest's existing NEFECON (search)® franchise.
Everest Medicines (search) will provide rigorous technical guidance and quality audits over Hainan Herui (search)'s manufacturing and supply processes under the agreement.
Everest Medicines (search) (HKEX 1952.HK) and Hainan Herui (search) have entered into a commercialization collaboration relating to Hainan Herui's budesonide enteric capsules, the companies announced on June 24, 2026. The agreement positions Everest Medicines to lead commercialization efforts for the product in the Chinese mainland market, building on the company's established presence in the kidney disease therapeutic space.
Under the terms of the collaboration, Hainan Herui (search)'s budesonide enteric capsules — approved by the National Medical Products Administration (search) (NMPA) in December 2025 — will be permitted to launch in the Chinese mainland market with Everest Medicines (search) assuming responsibility for their commercialization. Everest will also provide rigorous technical guidance and quality audits over Hainan Herui's manufacturing and supply processes. The collaboration remains subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
The partnership is expected to enhance patient access to a combined franchise that includes both Hainan Herui (search)'s budesonide enteric capsules and Everest's own NEFECON (search)®.
NEFECON (search)®: A Targeted Approach to IgA Nephropathy (search)
NEFECON (search)® is an oral, delayed-release formulation of budesonide, a corticosteroid with potent glucocorticoid activity and weak mineralocorticoid activity that undergoes substantial first-pass metabolism. The product was designed as a 4 mg delayed-release capsule with an enteric coating that remains intact until reaching the ileum. Each capsule contains coated beads of budesonide that target mucosal B-cells present in the ileum, including Peyer's patches, which are responsible for the production of galactose-deficient IgA1 antibodies (Gd-IgA1) implicated in IgA nephropathy (search).
NEFECON (search)® was first approved in November 2023 through the NMPA's priority review pathway for the treatment of primary IgA nephropathy (search) in adults at risk of disease progression. It was subsequently included in the National Reimbursement Drug List in November 2024, and received full approval from the NMPA in April 2025, irrespective of proteinuria levels — a regulatory milestone that broadens the eligible patient population to most individuals living with IgA nephropathy.
The product has been approved across all of Everest Medicines (search)' territories, including mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, the Taiwan region, as well as Singapore and South Korea.
Everest Medicines (search)' Strategic Position
Everest Medicines (search) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products addressing critical unmet medical needs. The company's therapeutic areas of focus include CKM (cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic), autoimmune, ophthalmology, and critical care. Everest has developed a fully integrated commercialization platform combining omnichannel commercial capabilities with end-to-end product lifecycle management.
Beyond its kidney disease portfolio, the company is advancing its proprietary mRNA platform, including mRNA in vivo CAR-T and mRNA cancer vaccines, while selectively expanding into additional high-value therapeutic areas and accelerating global expansion.