The U.S. and China biotech Apollomics Inc. on Nov. 16 gained the NMPA’s conditional approval for its cellular mesenchymal-epithelial transcription inhibitor for lung cancer called vebreltinib (APL-1010) through its Beijing-based partner, Avistone Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
In efforts to strengthen cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea’s life sciences sector, industry organizations like Biocom California and KoreaBIO are helping foster cross-border collaboration as Korea looks to ramp up the so-called Bio Economy 2.0. KoreaBIO, which stands for the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization, in its latest feat welcomed a trade delegation run by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. and the World Trade Center San Diego in November 2023, helping bolster cooperation between companies in Korea and in the San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, regions.
South Korean pharmaceutical Voronoi Inc. said that New Jersey-based Pyramid Biosciences Inc. terminated its previous $846 million deal for Voronoi’s solid and breast cancer drug candidate, VRN-08, in a letter dated Oct. 24, 2023.
Lunit Inc. is the latest South Korean firm to gain the U.S. FDA’s 510(k) clearance for Lunit Insight DBT, its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered breast cancer diagnostic tool that analyzes digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) images, boosting its efforts to enter the U.S. market. The company also reported that it secured $150 million in a public offering.
Serial biotech-founding venture fund Flagship Pioneering Inc., most noted for launching Moderna Inc. in 2012, is crossing into the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and setting up a regional office in Singapore, a move that comes on the heels of its entry into the U.K. earlier this year.
Astrazeneca plc will pay up to $2 billion for Eccogene Co. Ltd.’s oral weight loss candidate, ECC-5004, as big and small pharma players alike work to gain ground in the burgeoning obesity market where Eli Lilly and Co. scored the latest U.S. FDA approval of Zepbound (tirzepatide).
South Korea may soon gain its first domestically developed anthrax vaccine by GC Biopharma Corp., with the Korean biotech having filed Nov. 1 with the MFDS for approval of its novel recombinant protein anthrax vaccine called GC-1109.
Neurophet Inc. pulled in ₩20 billion (US$15.1 million) in its series C funding round, helping roll out its AI-software suite for neurodegenerative diseases worldwide and prep its IPO on the Kosdaq which is scheduled to take place sometime in 2024.
Astrazeneca plc will pay up to $2 billion for Eccogene Co. Ltd.’s oral weight loss candidate, ECC-5004, as big and small pharma players alike work to gain ground in the burgeoning obesity market where Eli Lilly and Co. scored the latest U.S. FDA approval of Zepbound (tirzepatide).
Glucometrics Co. Ltd. is rolling out its self-developed application programming interface (API) for diabetes care in steps, and the latest partnership with G2E Co. Ltd. is underway to develop a smart insulin pen loaded with the interface.
