Biopharma happenings in Asia-Pacific, such as deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Arcturus Therapeutics, Arcalis, Imidomics, Pharmaessentia, Wuxi Biologics.
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: GC Biopharma, Noxopharm, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Transcenta Holding.
Arbele Ltd. founder and CEO John Luk identified and patented cadherin-17 as a therapeutic cancer target, and the company was founded to develop immunotherapies for gastrointestinal cancers, which are prevalent in Asia Pacific.
Qyuns Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has filed to list on the Hong Kong Exchange to fund its autoimmune and allergic disease therapy pipeline, including lead assets QX-002N for ankylosing spondylitis and QX-005N for multiple indications including atopic dermatitis.
Through September 2023, biopharmas raised a total of $49.15 billion, up 7.46% in value from the $45.74 billion raised in the same period last year. Value is down from $93.98 billion raised in 2021 and $104.09 billion in 2020, but up from $42.17 billion raised in 2019 in the same time period.
Japanese specialty global pharma Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd. has agreed to buy out Orchard Therapeutics plc in a $387.4 million cash takeover that could jump $90 million to reach $477.6 million, contingent on the pending U.S. FDA approval of its EU-approved gene therapy, Libmeldy (atidarsagene autotemcel).
Five life science firms from the U.S., Asia and Germany have banded together to launch a Singapore biotech “incubator” called 65LAB in hopes of finding, funding and accelerating promising research from Singapore’s leading academic institutions to commercialization.
Dimerix Ltd. has out-licensed lead candidate DMX-200 to Advanz Pharma Corp. for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in a carve-out deal that grants commercialization rights to Advanz in the European Union, the U.K., Switzerland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.