Although Aisa Pharma Inc’s cilnidipine (AISA-021) failed to meet the primary endpoint, multiple secondary endpoints showed statistically significant improvement in treating sclerosis-associated Raynaud's phenomenon, potentially positioning the drug for a phase III program in a disease with no approved oral therapies globally.
GSK plc is paying $950 million cash to acquire 100% of 35Pharma Inc.’s equity and pipeline, including phase II-ready candidate HS-235 for pulmonary hypertension. The acquisition agreement comes a day after GSK added two small interfering RNA assets from Nanjing, China-based Frontier Biotechnologies Inc. through a license deal reaching up to $1 billion.
China’s National Medical Products Administration has accepted for review Jiuyuan Genetic Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s drug application for Jikeqin, a biosimilar product to Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy (semaglutide) for obesity.
CSL Ltd. is out-licensing its interleukin-6 (IL-6) monoclonal antibody, clazakizumab, to Eli Lilly and Co. in a deal that brings CSL $100 million in up-front fees. A CSL spokesperson told BioWorld the deal includes undisclosed milestone payments and sales-based royalties. CSL will retain rights to develop and commercialize clazakizumab for prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage kidney disease, while Lilly will explore the MAb in all other indications.
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG is selling off its India-listed business unit, Novartis India Ltd. (NIL), to a private equity-led consortium for about ₹14.46 billion (US$159.3 million) as it seeks to grow with “pure-play innovation.”
Japan is backing conditional approvals of Amchepry (raguneprocel, Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd./Racthera Co. Ltd.) and Reheart (Cuorips Inc.), positioning them to become the world’s first induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (iPSC) therapies to receive regulatory clearance.
Insight Lifetech Co. Ltd. listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s STAR market via an unprofitable biotech track reinstated last year, with the Feb. 5 IPO raising ¥998.64 million (US$143.93 million).
Sciwind Biosciences Co. Ltd. said Jan. 30 it won Chinese approval for self-developed glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, ecnoglutide (Xianyida), to treat adults with type 2 diabetes.
Genentech Inc. is paying $200 million up front and up to $1.5 billion in milestone payments to license one of Suzhou Sanegene Bio Inc.’s RNAi programs. Metabolic and autoimmune-focused Sanegene did not disclose specifics around the licensed candidate, except that it was derived from its LEAD (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery) platform.
South Korean researchers led by Lee In-suk of Yonsei University have reported the most complete oral microbiome catalog to date, with more than 72,000 genomes. Detailed in Cell Host & Microbe on Nov. 12, 2025, the database is expected to serve as a universal platform for academia and enable “precision microbiome medicine” for the industry, Lee told BioWorld.
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.webp?height=488&t=1750428815&width=650 "Interfering RNA (RNAi)")
