Antibiotics specialist Bioversys AG has sealed a potential CHF529 million (US$667.5 million) deal with Shionogi Co. Ltd., in which they will work together on novel ansamycins for treating multidrug-resistant lung infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria.
Wuhan Healthgen Biotechnology Co. Ltd. gained clearance from the Shanghai Stock Exchange July 1 to list under a recently reinstated IPO growth tier geared towards supporting “unprofitable” biotechnology firms.
Biopharma companies raised $7.38 billion across 99 transactions in June 2025, up from $5.55 billion in May and $2.4 billion in April. For the first half of the year (H1), total financings reached $28.74 billion, down 59% from the $70.32 billion raised during the same period in 2024. Although lower than the record-setting levels of 2020 and 2021, the current total aligns more closely with recent years, including $26.57 billion in the first half of 2022 and $30.57 billion in 2023.
Veritas In Silico Inc. (VIS) entered a joint research agreement with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc. to use VIS’s mRNA structural motif analyzing platform technology, called Ibvis, to develop antisense oligonucleotide drug candidates.
In yet another fail for the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) field, Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s pizuglanstat (TAS-205) did not meet the primary endpoint in a phase III trial. The phase III Reach-DMD trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind and open-label, extension study of pizuglanstat in patients with DMD showed no significant difference in the mean change from baseline to 52 weeks in the primary endpoint of time to rise from the floor in the ambulatory cohort of the study.
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: Biocon, Dizal, Hutchmed, Mesoblast, Takeda.
Aussie researchers have used CRISPR gene editing tools to “armor” chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to activate additional cancer-fighting proteins at the tumor site, enabling them to target cancer cells in solid tumors.
Lizards, zebrafish, salamanders and tritons can regrow a tail, a fin, or even an entire limb after amputation. Cut a planarian into pieces, and you will end up with a bunch of them. Researchers at the National Institute of Biological Sciences in Beijing have discovered a genetic switch linked to vitamin A. After activating this pathway, they managed to regenerate the ear pinna of a mouse, an animal that previously lacked this ability.