Drug developer Invion has secured patent approval for its anti-smoking oral medication Nadolol in China, which is home to around 320 million smokers.
Invion said Thursday that it been given patent approval for Nadolol, which helps users to quit smoking, from China's intellectual property office.
Patients who took part in trials of the drug were more likely to stop smoking completely, or sharply cut the number of cigarettes smoked.
All patients had tried to quit smoking several times but were defeated by chronic smokers cough, which resulted from the build-up of mucus in the lungs after the last cigarette.
Chronic respiratory diseases are the second biggest cause of death in China with tobacco smoking, air pollution and biomass fuel use being the major drivers.
China has one of the worlds highest rates of smoking, accounting for around a quarter of the world's smokers. One in six tobacco-related deaths worldwide occurs in China, according to Invion.
At 1427 AEDT, Invion'a shares were up by 0.1 centS, or 20 per cent, to 0.6 cents.
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