Insilico Medicine founder and CEO Alex Zhavoronkov told BioWorld that he tries to spend as much time as possible in China, because that's where the artificial intelligence (AI) drug development company conducts synthesis and tests for early stage discovery. “And nowadays, not a day goes by without somebody launching an AI drug discovery company,” he said, noting that Chinese AI company Deepseek could be a huge disrupter.
Antibody-drug conjugate developer Duality Biotherapeutics Inc. is gearing up for a second IPO attempt this year, having filed on Feb. 27 a new prospectus on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Two other biotechs – Genuine Biotech Ltd. and Cloudbreak Pharma Inc. – also are having another go at a listing in Hong Kong in 2025.
HBM Alpha Therapeutics Inc. signed a potential $395 million licensing deal Feb. 26 with an unnamed “business partner” for its endocrine asset, HAT-001, adding another contender to the congenital adrenal hyperplasia space.
Biocity Biopharmaceutics Co. Ltd.’s selective endothelin receptor type A antagonist, SC-0062, met the primary endpoint of reducing proteinuria in a phase II diabetic kidney disease cohort. Conducted at 40 sites across China, the 2-Succeed phase II trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SC-0062 in patients with chronic kidney disease with proteinuria.
Several Asia biotechs this week – including Innocare Pharma Ltd., Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sanbio Co. Ltd. and Ascletis Pharma Inc. – unveiled the start of new late-stage clinical trials or interim findings from early stage studies.
Radiance Biopharma Inc. bought its way into the ROR1 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) space through a potential $1 billion-plus licensing deal, including a $15 million up-front payment, with CSPC Megalith Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. for rights to RB-164 (SYS-6005) in the U.S. and select countries.
Qyuns Therapeutics Co. Ltd.’s monoclonal antibody targeting IL-17A, QX-002N, met both primary and secondary endpoints in a phase III trial in ankylosing spondylitis.
Biomissile Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. is developing multispecific antibodies that overcome resistance associated with antibody-drug conjugates via its next-generation natural killer (NK) cell engagers. “ADCs are very efficacious, but they do have a drawback with side effects and resistance, because ultimately ADCs are similar to chemotherapy because you bring toxins to the tumor site,” Biomissile co-founder and CEO Chao Tu told BioWorld.
Dealmaking in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region took off this week, with the latest showcasing Genome & Co.’s licensing deal with Ellipses Pharma Ltd. for GENA-104, a phase I-ready immuno-oncology asset, under undisclosed terms Feb. 11.
The Biosecure Act may have died with the 118th U.S. Congress, but efforts to stop U.S. government funding of R&D in China are alive and well. Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., introduced the Stop Funding our Adversaries Act in the House Feb. 7 to prohibit direct and indirect federal funding of research in China or entities owned by China.
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