Patent protection in China has been a point of concern for device makers for some time, but so has patent piracy. The Peoples Republic of China has issued some amendments to its patent law that allow for adjustments and extensions to the term of a patent, changes that are a welcome bit of news for companies in the life sciences.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria signed a cooperation and financing agreement to implement 10 initiatives in 2021 through 2023 aimed at addressing persistent challenges impeding global progress against the three diseases and protecting hard-won gains from new pandemics like COVID-19.
Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co. Ltd. plans to release a couple of new imaging solutions this month as part of continued and rapid growth in its home market and globally. The first to be unveiled by the Shenzhen, China-based company is the Resona I9, its latest general imaging diagnostic ultrasound system.
Heralded as a potential turning point for U.S. innovation in the 21st century, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, S. 1260, is a big step closer to becoming law. The Senate voted 68-32 June 8 to pass the sweeping $250 billion bipartisan bill intended to give the U.S. an edge over China when it comes to innovation and investment in several critical industries, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum computing.
The Guangzhou Sino-Israel Bio-industry Investment Fund (GIBF) has raised more than half of its proposed ¥2 billion (US$313 million) round. “The second fund, GIBF2, will focus on Israeli and European biotechnology companies, which are developing innovative drugs and are in phase II to III clinical trials,” Avner Lushi, the CEO and co-founder of the GIBF, told BioWorld.
Suzhou-based Intocare Medical Technology Co. Ltd. raised up to ¥100 million (US$15.66 million) in a series D funding round led by Qiming Venture Partners. Oriza Holdings, Oriza FOFs and Yuanbio Venture Capital also participated in the round. The company said the proceeds would be used for product R&D, clinical research, marketing promotion, and the launch of new offices and production sites.
For the next three years, the government of Shanghai will hand out R&D subsidies up to ¥100 million ($15.6 million) per year to each biopharma company in the municipality to support innovative medicines. Med-tech players can also each receive up to ¥15 million a year for developing innovative devices.
HONG KONG – Genetron Holdings Ltd. is teaming up with JD Health International Inc. to develop full-cycle cancer management solutions encompassing both online and offline components. The partnership will focus on the six key areas of consumer health care, digitization of liver disease management, government medical associations, sharing of customer screening resources, industry, and user education as well as the consolidation of oncology doctors and experts on a single platform.
Multinational players are changing the way they look at China as a source for innovation as it accelerates efforts in areas such as digital health in pursuit of desire to make a global impact.
HONG KONG – Dia Imaging Analysis Ltd. has teamed up with Sonoscape Medical Corp. to deliver cardiac ultrasound artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. The partnership aims to reduce the variability associated with manual or visual analysis, and increase efficiency and accuracy throughout the analysis process. As a result, China-based Sonoscape's ultrasound devices will be offering a layer of automated AI-based analysis to support the clinician’s decision-making process, courtesy of Dia's AI-based cardiac solutions.