Having chalked up three marketed drugs after only nine years in existence, Venbio Partners LLC proved its appeal yet again by closing on about $394 million in a capital raise that included new and existing investors, with a broad range of institutional concerns in the mix.

BEIJING – After its masks and test kits were said to be sent back by Western countries due to complaints over poor quality, China this week required only NMPA-approved companies export their products and stepped up regulations to ensure quality.

Warsaw, Ind.-based Orthopediatrics Corp. is scooping up Apifix Ltd., allowing it to gain the Minimally Invasive Deformity Correction (MID-C) system, which is used to treat adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. BTIG’s Ryan Zimmerman noted that the deal has a potential value of $67 million plus potential future revenue milestones. “The initial upfront payment has a ~$37 [million] value, composed of $2 million in cash and ~935k shares of common stock,” he added.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has been managed with widely varying degrees of success around the world. Artificial intelligence (AI), which can help to power all sorts of efforts, has been enlisted thus far in limited ways. But researchers at a virtual conference held on April 1 by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence explored some of the ongoing and potential applications of AI to systematize efforts to fight COVID-19.