BEIJING – Chinese biosimilar maker Bio-Thera Solutions Ltd., of Guangzhou, said its BAT-1406 became the first biosimilar referencing Abbvie Inc.'s blockbuster TNF-blocker, Humira (adalimumab), to win a marketing nod in China. It is Bio-Thera's first biosimilar and China's second homegrown biosimilar approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).
BEIJING – Antibody developer Akeso Biopharma Inc., from China's Guangdong province, closed a $150 million series D financing round to advance its pipeline, especially the two PD-1-based bispecific antibodies, AK-104 and AK-112, aimed to help it stand out in the fierce PD-1 space in China. "A significant portion of the proceeds will go to AK-104 and AK-112, which are both first-in-class drug candidates," Akeso CEO Michelle Xia told BioWorld. This year is a big one for Akeso, as AK-104 and AK-112 received IND approvals from the FDA in March and July, respectively.
BEIJING – Chinese drug regulators granted conditional approval to Shanghai Green Valley (Group) Co. Ltd.'s marine-derived oligosaccharide, GV-971, to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), but required further trials to prove the drug's efficacy after marketing.
When the time was right to make a powerful Western biotech welcome in China, Beigene Ltd. was ready when Amgen Inc. came calling. Its massive $2.7 billion cash equity investment in Beigene buys Amgen an oncology footprint in China.
HONG KONG – Daewon Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., based in Seoul, South Korea, has received the approval from the country's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) to market Terrosa, a biosimilar teriparatide for osteoporosis treatment developed by Richter-Helm Biotec GmbH & Co. KG, of Hamburg, Germany.
BEIJING – After Suzhou, China-based Ascentage Pharma Group International launched a $53 million IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) last week, Tot Biopharm International Co. Ltd., also from Suzhou, and Sinomab Bioscience Ltd., of Hong Kong, will also debut on the bourse to reap as much as $87 million and $223.1 million, respectively, in the following two weeks.
HONG KONG – Canadian company Pascal Biosciences Inc., headquartered in Vancouver, and South Korean biotech Y-biologics Inc., based in Daejeon, have signed a research collaboration agreement for the discovery and development of bispecific antibodies for the treatment of leukemia.
South Korean AI-based biotech Azoth Bio Inc., of Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, and biopharmaceutical venture Wellmarker Bio Co. Ltd., based in Seoul, have signed a memorandum of understanding for cancer drug R&D and commercialization.