LONDON – Results from the phase I/II trial of Coronavac, a COVID-19 vaccine based on a traditional inactivated whole SARS-CoV-2 virus that circulated in China in the early days of the pandemic, show it is safe and induces an antibody response in healthy volunteers ages 18 to 59.

HONG KONG – Kira Pharmaceuticals is riding high after completing a $46 million fundraiser and appointing Frederick Beddingfield as CEO. “The $46 million comprises a series A of $18 million and a series B of $26 million, with investors Quan Capital, 6 Dimensions Capital, Qiming Venture Partners, and Sinopharm Capital participating in both rounds,” Beddingfield told BioWorld.

Fochon Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a subsidiary of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., out-licensed FCN-338, a BCL-2 inhibitor, to Eli Lilly and Co. for an up-front payment of $40 million along with milestones and royalties. The deal marks another example of Chinese biotech companies reversing the licensing flow.

HONG KONG, BEIJING and CAJICA, Colombia – Anvisa, Brazil’s health care surveillance agency, has halted the final-stage trials for Beijing, China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate Coronavac after a serious adverse event occurred on Oct. 29 and was communicated to the regulator. Anvisa then evaluated the data and suspended the trials after weighing the risk-benefit of continuing them in the country, it said.

Yantai, China-based biologics developer Remegen Ltd. launched the biggest pre-revenue biotech IPO in Hong Kong this year by raising HK$3.99 billion ($514.5 million) on Nov 9. With this IPO, Remegen’s CEO Jianmin Fang told BioWorld in an exclusive interview, the company aims to take its assets abroad.