LONDON – Sosei Heptares is to get $100 million up front in a potential $2.6 billion deal with Neurocrine Biosciences Inc., in which the pair will develop muscarinic receptor agonists in the treatment of schizophrenia, dementia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. San Diego-based Neurocrine is taking rights to a portfolio of small molecules against specific subtypes of the muscarinic receptor family, targeting M1 and M4 alone, plus a dual M1/M4 agonist.
Ono Pharma Korea Co. Ltd. has received approval in South Korea for Velexbru (tirabrutinib hydrochloride), its oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, as treatment of recurrent or refractory B-cell primary central nervous system lymphoma.
Aptose Biosciences Inc. has bought over the worldwide rights to Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s myeloid kinome inhibitor in a deal worth up to $420 million. Seoul, South Korea-based Hanmi has granted Aptose exclusive worldwide rights to HM-43239 for all indications. The candidate was developed for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.
Sichuan Clover Biopharmaceuticals Inc. raised HK$2.03 billion (US$260.17 million) in its Hong Kong Stock Exchange debut. Shares closed at HK$12.98 (US$1.67) on Nov. 5 after trading as high as HK$13.56 earlier.
Plants could be an alternative vaccine platform for both COVID-19 and future pandemics, shaking up a biologics sector that is currently mostly protein-based. South Korean company Bioapplications Inc., for example, is aiming to have a plant-derived booster shot for COVID-19 in the clinic in 2022.
Antengene Corp. Ltd. has formed a partnership with Legochem Biosciences Inc. to jointly develop new antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) primarily for cancer. The partners will integrate antibodies from Antengene with Legochem’s ADC technology.
Cerecin Inc. has raised $40 million in an oversubscribed round of financing, paving the way for a potential listing in South Korea. Proceeds of the financing will fund the expansion of the company’s current studies and support the planning and initiation of a global phase III study of its lead candidate, tricaprilin, in Alzheimer’s disease.
China’s Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) released a draft guide on clinical trials of drugs for rare disease as part of an ongoing push to encourage new drug development and nudge developers to focus on biomarkers, pharmacometrics and patient-reported outcomes. Both are needed to continue moving China’s R&D capabilities up the value chain and closer to being on par with the capabilities of other countries that are at the forefront of new drug development.
D&D Pharmatech Inc., a Korean-American firm commercializing innovation from Johns Hopkins University raised $51 million in a pre-IPO series C round, which sets the stage for an IPO in Seoul early next year.
Aum Biosciences Pte. Ltd., a company developing targeted cancer therapies, has closed a $27 million series A funding round. The Singapore-based company plans to use the proceeds to advance clinical development of its portfolio with immediate initiation of two phase II programs for MNK and tropomyosin receptor kinase inhibitors.
RSS
