FDA Grants U.S. Approval to Haisco's Anesthetic Cipepofol

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on June 1, 2026, approved Cipepofol, an intravenous anesthetic developed by China’s Haisco Pharmaceutical Group (6821.HK), clearing the drug for marketing in the United States. Cipepofol is a short-acting sedative-hypnotic intended for procedural sedation and general anesthesia. In pivotal trials, it demonstrated non-inferiority to the widely used propofol while causing significantly less injection-site pain, a feature analysts see as a key competitive advantage. The approval marks Haisco’s first major U.S. regulatory win and expands its footprint beyond the Chinese market. Hong Kong-listed shares of Haisco edged up 1.2% ahead of the announcement, and some analysts project the drug could capture a share of the multi-billion-dollar U.S. anesthesia market.