Qihan Biotechology Co. Ltd., a company known for its multiplexable genome editing technology, has yet again extended its series A financing, this time with a $67 million round that will support advancement of its allogeneic cell therapy candidates to IND in China. To date the company has raised more than $100 million.
HONG KONG – Uni-Bio Science Group Ltd. and Dotbio Pte. Ltd. formed a partnership to develop therapeutics for patients with retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion and myopic choroidal neovascularization.
Like its distinctive name, Dragon Boat Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Shanghai, raced to victory with the Chinese IND approval for its anti-CSF-1R monoclonal antibody candidate BC-006, marking an important milestone for the company as it embraces a growing focus on innovative medicines.
In the “The World for Asia, Asia for the World” panel discussion at the virtual Wuxi Healthcare Forum, investors and executives took note of the region’s digital capabilities for reducing R&D costs and timelines, while also calling for more harmonization on the regulatory front to empower R&D in Asia.
As the World Trade Organization (WTO) debate intensified this week over a demand to waive patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines and therapies, the group’s new director-general, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, urged members to “walk and chew gum” at the same time by working with “companies to open up and license more viable manufacturing sites now in emerging markets and developing countries. We must get them to work with us on know-how and technology transfer now.”
From the time it paused inspections of drug manufacturing sites a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA conducted only three foreign “mission-critical” inspections in fiscal 2020. Those were in Canada, Germany and India, according to a new U.S. Government Accountability Office report.
Lured by what Amgen Inc. CEO Bob Bradway called a "compelling opportunity" to strengthen the Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based company's oncology portfolio and support its international expansion strategy, Amgen on March 4 moved to buy South San Francisco-based Five Prime Therapeutics Inc. for $38 per share, or about $1.9 billion.
HONG KONG – Daejeon, South Korea-based Curocell Inc. has received the first IND approval for a CAR T therapy in South Korea from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).
HONG KONG – Beijing-based Beigene Ltd. struck its second deal outside China this year, signing an option and license agreement with Boston Immune Technologies & Therapeutics Inc. (BITT) for the latter’s tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) antagonist antibodies.
HONG KONG – Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. picked up the greater China rights to Scynexis Inc.’s lead candidate, ibrexafungerp. Hansoh will take charge of the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of the antifungal in exchange for a $10 million up-front payment and as much as $112 million in milestones.
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