Almirall Institutional Event Shanghai
- The biopharmaceutical companyโs presence in Shanghai, China is dedicated to life science innovation and business development with a focus on programs and technologies that are complementary to its in-house R&D expertise.
- The successful collaboration with Simcere for the development of an interleukin 2 mutant fusion protein (IL-2muFc) initially targeting alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis is a blueprint for future collaborations.
- Almirallโs commercial presence in China is expanding through a second agreement with a local partner for the commercialisation of a product for the treatment of acne.
SHANGHAI & BARCELONA, Spain–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Almirall, S.A. (ALM), a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to medical dermatology based in Barcelona, today holds an institutional event to inaugurate new offices in the Jingโan district in Shanghai, China. The presence of Almirall in Shanghai (Almirall Shanghai Pharmaceutical Consulting Co. Ltd) is dedicated to creating additional opportunities for innovation in medical dermatology, combining the companyโs strong in-house R&D capabilities with Chinese collaborations.
The event entitled โAdvancing innovation in dermatology with partnerships in Chinaโ gathers leaders of the pharmaceutical industry in China, institutional representatives from China and Spain, and future and current partners to discuss opportunities for collaboration to further advance innovation in life sciences that enable the development of innovative treatments in medical dermatology to benefit patients and the medical community around the world.
The opening of the new Shanghai offices comes at a time when China is accelerating its life sciences capabilities and licensing deals in the pharma sector. As Almirall is expanding its leadership in medical dermatology through a trajectory of sustained growth and margin expansion, the companyโs R&D and commercial expertise represent valuable capabilities for future Chinese partners with innovative technologies who are looking to commercialise them globally. Back in 2022, Almirall established its successful Chinese partnership with Simcere on the development of an interleukin 2 mutant fusion protein (IL-2muFc) initially targeting alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis. Since then, the two companies have worked closely to advance the clinical development of this innovative therapy.
Almirallโs continued investment in its in-house R&D capabilities remains strongly focused on its R&D centre in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain) where the majority of the pipeline development for the company will continue.
โAs a leader in medical dermatology, we at Almirall are proud to combine the commercialisation of our broad portfolio of dermatology products with a sustained focus on innovation that enables us to develop novel treatments aimed at further supporting patients and the medical community. The inauguration of our new offices in Shanghai today underlines our collaborative approach to innovation and is a recognition of the life science potential in China. We continue to invest in growing our in-house R&D capabilities in Barcelona, while the complementary work in China will allow us to broaden our innovation potential through new partnerships. The successful collaboration we have with Simcere in alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis is a blueprint for this work.โ
Carlos Gallardo, Almirall Chairman and CEO
โCongratulations to Almirall on establishing an office in China and expanding its presence in the country. This milestone reflects the further development of the cooperation between China and Spain in the field of innovative medicines. Simcere will continue to work closely with Almirall to pursue synergistic innovation and advance the global clinical development of the interleukin 2 mutant fusion protein project. We look forward to bringing new therapeutic options to patients worldwide suffering from different autoimmune diseases.โ
Zhou Gaobo, Chief Investment Officer of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group
In 2025, China and Spain celebrated the 20th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership. Since then, bilateral relations have entered a new phase with the adoption of the Action Plan on Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2025โ2028), which highlights the pharmaceutical sector as a key priority. The collaboration between Almirall and Simcere stands as a prominent example of a partnership aligned with this strategic framework between the two countries.
Almirallโs R&D pipeline
Almirallโs continued investment in its leading R&D capabilities, and the medical dermatology pipeline are closely aligned with the companyโs long-term view on its contributions and commitment to positively impact patients and society and with further growing its leadership in medical dermatology. Almirall invested more than 1bn Euros into R&D in medical dermatology over the last 10 years, and in 2025 Almirall continued to invest around 12.5% of net sales in R&D.
Almirallโs pipeline currently consists of developmental assets that target a broad range of dermatological diseases with currently three ongoing proof-of-concept (PoC)/Phase II studies including an anti-IL-1RAP monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting hidradenitis suppurativa, an IL-2muFc mutant fusion protein targeting alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis – the latter led by Almirall’s partner Simcere. Additional pipeline programs are expected to progress into phase II/PoC studies in the next 12 months including an anti-IL-21 monoclonal antibody targeting hidradenitis suppurativa.
Almirallโs collaboration with Simcere was initiated in 2022 with the program to progress the preclinical-stage drug candidate for autoimmune diseasesโthe interleukin-2 mutant fusion protein (IL-2muFc) โdeveloped by Simcere, which Almirall has global development and commercialisation rights for outside China. Since then, the two companies have worked closely to advance the clinical development of this innovative therapy. The program has now progressed to Phase II clinical trials in both China and the United States.
Commercialisation of dermatology products in China
Based on Almirallโs end-to-end expertise and Chinaโs growing demand for advanced treatments in medical dermatology, the company also focused on giving patients access to its existing products through partnerships with local commercialisation expertise. Almirall and Cutia have a license agreement for the commercialisation of Almirallโs topical finasteride product which is already available in China for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. More recently, Almirall signed an agreement with Sinomune for the commercialisation of sarecycline which was recently approved by the regulatory authorities in China for the treatment of acne. The presence of senior managers of both companies at the inauguration event is a strong signal for Almirallโs focus on supporting patients and the medical community in China with access to impactful treatments in dermatology.
About Almirall
Almirall is a global pharmaceutical company dedicated to medical dermatology. We closely collaborate with leading scientists, healthcare professionals, and patients to deliver our purpose: to transform the patients’ world by helping them realize their hopes and dreams for a healthy life. We are at the forefront of science to deliver ground-breaking, differentiated medical dermatology innovations that address patientsโ needs.
Almirall, founded in 1944 and headquartered in Barcelona, is publicly traded on the Spanish Stock Exchange (ticker: ALM), total revenue in 2025: โฌ1114.5 MM, over 2100 employees globally. Almirall products help to improve the lives of patients every day and are available in over 100 countries.
About Simcere
Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Limited ๏ผ2096.HK๏ผ is a pharmaceutical company driven by innovation and focusing on four therapeutic areas including Neuroscience, Oncology, Autoimmune Diseases and Anti-infection. We proactively explore areas with significant unmet needs, and our mission is For patients, for life. Driven by our in-house R&D efforts and synergistic innovation, Simcere has established strategic cooperation partnerships with many innovative companies and research institutes. Learn more at www.simcere.com
For more information, please visit www.almirall.com
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