It is acknowledged that the huge bias toward individuals of European ancestry means studies of the contribution of genetics to disease may not translate well to other ethnicities. That point is underlined in the first large-scale investigation of the population structure and demographic history of British Pakistanis, which shows an increased number and length of regions of homozygosity inherited from a common ancestor, and greatly elevated identity by descent, compared to the population at large.
India’s Department of Pharmaceuticals (DOD) released draft guidelines to boost research and development in its pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The document touched on the reasons for a dedicated R&D and innovation policy, which involved reducing import dependence, increasing the speed of biologic and biosimilar development cycles, and tackling infrastructural challenges.
Biopharma happenings in Asia-Pacific, such as deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Aditxt, Aipharma, Beximco, Immuneoncia, Moderna, Oramed, Oravax Medical, Pfizer, Tan Thanh Holdings Investment Joint Stock, Vir, Wuxi Biologics.
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: Amniotics, Astrazeneca, Cstone, Daiichi Sankyo, Mesoblast, Novavax, Nrx, RDIF, Regor.
Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd.’s subsidiary Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has raised ¥610.5 million ($96 million) in a series B round led by Sunshine Life Insurance Corp. Ltd.
Every year, the BioWorld team takes time to look back and assess the market-moving and life-changing stories and trends of the year. Without a doubt, COVID-19 shook humanity to the core, again. And like glioblastoma, the tentacles of COVID-19 invaded far beyond the obvious and ultimately changed the world. So that’s our top story of the year. But the biopharmaceutical industry is resilient and responsive. Even though there were tectonic shifts in efforts to bring an armamentarium of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics to patients with record-breaking speed, work continued on other fronts.
A U.S. federal jury convicted Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard University’s chemistry and chemical biology department, on charges related to lying to federal authorities about his affiliation with China’s Thousand Talents Plan and the Wuhan University of Technology, as well as failing to report the income he received from the institute.
Antengene Corp. Ltd. received marketing approval from China’s NMPA for ATG-010 (selinexor), a drug that was in-licensed from Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. It was approved for use in combination with dexamethasone to treat adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
China’s NMPA has given thumbs up to Cstone Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.’s Cejemly (sugemalimab), an anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody. It was approved for use in treatment-naïve metastatic (stage IV) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in combination with chemotherapy.