HONG KONG – New York and San Diego-based Zentalis Pharmaceuticals Inc. has gained $20 million in a series A financing round to support a Chinese joint venture called Zentera Therapeutics.

BEIJING – Androgen receptor (AR)-related disease specialist Kintor Pharmaceutical Ltd., of Suzhou, China, raised $240 million on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) on May 22 by issuing 92.3 million shares at HK$20.15 apiece. The IPO was oversubscribed by 551 times, showing the city’s biotech fever.

PERTH, Australia – Australian stem cell company Mesoblast Ltd. completed a capital raising of AU$138 million (US$90 million) to scale up manufacturing of its allogeneic cell therapy, remestemcel-L, to treat COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

BEIJING – Legend Biotech Corp., headquartered in Somerset, N.J., filed with the U.S. SEC last week plans to raise up to $100 million to advance its BCMA-targeting CAR T candidate, LCAR-B38M, by listing on Nasdaq. Legend confidentially submitted a draft registration statement to the regulators in March.

BEIJING – Androgen receptor (AR)-related disease specialist Kintor Pharmaceutical Ltd., of Suzhou, China, is looking to raise up to HK$1.861 billion (US$240 million) in a Hong Kong IPO to advance its small-molecule AR antagonists, proxalutamide and pyrilutamide, both of which have first- and best-in-class potential.

HONG KONG – The Japanese government is tightening its grip on its listed companies, including those working on promising COVID-19 treatments. On May 8, the Japanese Ministry of Finance released a list of 518 companies that would be subject to stricter restrictions on receiving foreign investments.