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 – Rokit Healthcare Inc. is working toward its goal of listing on the Korean stock exchange by July or August 2021. The Seoul, South Korea-based company will issue 12 million shares and targets setting the price range as early as July 2021. KB Securities Co. Ltd. and Mirae Asset will serve as organizers for the IPO.

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 – Looking to improve treatment outcomes for Alzheimer’s patients, Shanghai-based Luye Pharma Group has inked a deal to hand the Japanese rights for its leading treatment to Japan’s Towa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Made through Luye’s subsidiary Luye Pharma Switzerland AG, the agreement gives Towa the exclusive rights for the development and commercialization of the Rivastigmine multi-day transdermal patch (Rivastigmine MD) in Japan.

HONG KONG – Vuno Inc. saw its shares soar on their first day of trading on the Kosdaq board with a $33.4 million IPO. The shares closed at ₩32,150 (US$28.89) on Feb. 26. Vuno had priced the 1.8 million new shares on offer at ₩21,000, exceeding its desired range of ₩15,000 to ₩19,500 and raising ₩37.8 billion, or $33.4 million, to boot.

HONG KONG – Wuxi Diagnostic Investment (Cayman) Ltd. has raised $150 million in a series B financing round, while netting a number of new investors along the way. The new investors to come on board include Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Shiyu Capital, ABC International Holdings Ltd., Sunland Capital and CCBI Tech Venture.

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).

PERTH, Australia – The fight against diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma may finally see some progress, after experiments using 3D models of the tumor in animal studies showed that a combination therapy of the polyamine inhibitor AMXT-1501 (Aminex Therapeutics Inc.) and the ornithine decarboxylase 1 inhibitor difluoromethylornithine could eradicate cancer cells.

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.