HONG KONG – Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has agreed to pay Ribon Therapeutics Inc. as much as ¥15.4 billion (US$147.3 million) for exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the company’s phase I PARP7 inhibitor RBN-2397 for the treatment of solid tumors in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and ASEAN countries.

PERTH, Australia – Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has granted provisional approval to Astrazeneca Pty Ltd. for its COVID-19 vaccine, a recombinant adenovirus vaccine, making it the second COVID-19 vaccine to receive regulatory approval in Australia, following the Jan. 26 provisional approval for Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd.’s COVID-19 vaccine, branded Comirnaty.

HONG KONG – A Japanese phase III study of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s interleukin-6 inhibitor Actemra (tocilizumab) in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 pneumonia has read out, expanding what’s known about the drug’s use in the pandemic, which had been inconclusive until recently, though is now known to reduce mortality in the vulnerable population.

HONG KONG – Celltrion Inc. has received conditional marketing authorization from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for its anti-COVID-19 monoclonal antibody, Regkirona (regdanvimab, also known as CT-P59), in South Korea. It’s the first company to receive approval for a COVID-19 antibody treatment developed in South Korea, a MFDS spokesman told BioWorld.

Suzhou Basecare Medical Corp. Ltd., a genetic test developer for assisted reproduction, raised HK$1.82 billion (US$235 million) in an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Feb. 8, with shares opening nearly 10% higher. The IPO will support the company to continue to develop pre-implantation genetic (PGT) testing products for assisted reproduction.

Chinese heart valve specialist Microport Cardioflow Medtech Corp. (HKEX:2160) launched an IPO in Hong Kong on Feb. 4, raising HK$2.5 billion (US$324 million) by issuing 205.62 million shares at HK$12.20 apiece. With J.P. Morgan, Citi and CICC backing the IPO, the stock opened at HK$21.50, up 76% from the offer price. The pre-revenue med-tech firm, spun off from Microport Scientific Corp. in 2020, develops transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) products for valvular heart diseases, and is especially known for its Vitaflow series.

PERTH, Australia – Micro-X Ltd. completed an AU$30.5 million (US$23.27 million) placement to expand its U.S. footprint for its lightweight digital mobile X-ray systems. The funds raised will drive market expansion of Adelaide, Australia-based Micro-X’s Rover digital mobile X-ray system that is designed for deployed military medical facilities, and to scale up its Carestream DRX Revolution Nano, a mobile lightweight digital X-ray system for hospitals.

HONG KONG – Seegene Inc. has developed a COVID-19 test kit that is able to both detect and identify multiple mutant variations of the virus. “Getting test results from the Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Variants Ⅰ Assay takes two hours, which is normally how long getting results from a PCR test takes,” a Seegene spokesperson told BioWorld.

HONG KONG – Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has granted approval for Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Orladeyo (berotralstat), the first and only drug for prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) approved in the country. Biocryst’ partner, Torii Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., will launch the drug after completing pricing negotiations with the Japanese National Health Insurance System (NHI). Tokyo-based Orphanpacific Inc., Biocryst’s representative in Japan, holds the marketing authorization.