Chinese companies are finding that their COVID-19 vaccines are effective as booster shots and against variants of the virus, as data from more studies emerge. Those who have received the third dose of Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s COVID-19 vaccine, Coronavac, showed 2.5-fold higher neutralizing potency against the Delta variant, compared to COVID-19 convalescents and two-dose vaccinees.
China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) will take effect on Nov. 1, 2021, making it harder for tech firms, including health care companies, to access and use consumers’ personal information. The PIPL was officially passed by the National People’s Congress on Aug. 20.
Minhai Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has won approval from the NMPA for its 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which makes it the third company with such a vaccine to be greenlighted in China.
Innovent Biologics Inc. has inked a $312 million licensing deal for the development and commercialization of Genfleet Therapeutics Inc.’s KRAS G12C inhibitor, GFH-925, in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Innovent also has additional option-in rights for global development and commercialization.
Bristol Myers Squibb Co.’s Opdivo (nivolumab) is now the first and only immunotherapy for the first-line treatment of advanced gastric cancer in China.
For the last few years, Hong Kong has been the preferred financial hub for many Chinese health care companies to go public and raise money from global investors. “Biotechnology is today the fastest-growing IPO market segment,” said Nicolas Aguzin, CEO of HKEX, during the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. (HKEX) Biotech Summit 2021.
Binhui Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s BS-001, a recombinant human oncolytic herpes simplex virus type-2 expressing GM-CSF for the potential treatment of solid tumors, has gained an IND approval from the FDA.
Beyondspring Inc. and Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. entered a ¥1.3 billion (US$200 million) deal to commercialize and co-develop the former’s selective immunomodulating microtubule-binding agent plinabulin in greater China.
Adlai Nortye Biopharma Co. Ltd.’s $100 million series D financing in July threw new light on the enticing prospect of targeting EP4 in prostaglandin (PGE2)-driven cancers, and a number of players are lined up in the space.
An update from China’s NMPA clarifying registration requirements and classification methods for drug-device combination products has been welcomed by industry as the regulator seeks to keep pace with fast-moving developments in the sector.
