Vaxxas Pty. Ltd. raised AU$34 million (US$23 million) to advance its needle-free COVID-19 vaccine program, which began in early November, and readouts from the study are expected in late February or early March, Vaxxas CEO David Hoey told BioWorld. The COVID-19 vaccine patch is based on the company’s high-density microarray patch technology that delivers Hexapro, a second-generation version of the spike protein used in all major U.S.-approved COVID-19 vaccines.
Shionogi & Co. Ltd.’s orally administered COVID-19 antiviral, 3CL protease inhibitor Xocova (ensitrelvir/S-217622), scored emergency regulatory approval from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the Japanese government has agreed to purchase 1 million courses of Xocova for domestic supply of the antiviral.
China recently approved four COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in a span of two days. The nods were granted to Clover Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Sinocelltech Group Ltd., Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. Ltd. and Westvac Biopharma Co. Ltd. There is still no mRNA vaccine approved in the country.
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: Antengene, Ascletis, Biontech, Bioxytran, Brim, Cerecin, Curadev, Delta-Fly, Hexaell, Liscure, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer, Recce, Takeda.
Biopharma happenings in Asia-Pacific, such as deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Beigene, Clear Creek, Daiichi Sankyo, Equillium, Gilead Sciences, Hitgen, Kite, Kyowa Kirin, MEI, Merck, Nitrase, Ono, Pfizer, Phanes, Pharmabcine, Sosei, Spikimm, Tevogen.
Clinical updates from Asia, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Aim Immunotech, Createrna Science and Technology, Daiichi Sankyo, Immuneoncia, Innovent Biologics, Kinarus, Lynk, Qilu, Union.
Sotyktu (deucravacitinib), the tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor for psoriasis from Bristol Myers Squibb Co., is “a good first-in-class” drug, said Nimbus Therapeutics LLC CEO Jeb Keiper, but his firm may have the best in class, ready for phase III trials. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. apparently believes so. The company has agreed to pay $4 billion up front and pledge as much as $2 billion more in potential milestone payments to acquire Nimbus’s wholly owned subsidiary, Nimbus Lakshmi Inc., thereby bringing aboard the TYK2 prospect called NDI-034858.
Full-Life Technologies Ltd. reported that it will acquire Focus-X Therapeutics Inc. to expand its radiopharmaceutical oncology therapy pipeline in a deal worth up to $245 million.
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