HONG KONG – China's Suzhou Alphamab Co. Ltd. has obtained the IND approval from regulators for its HER2 bispecific antibody, KN-026. The phase I trials will commence later this year. Read More
HONG KONG – U.S.-based Tocagen Inc. granted Apollobio Corp., of Beijing, an exclusive license to develop and commercialize its immunotherapy for brain tumors in the greater China region. The license is expected to take effect in the second quarter. Read More
PERTH, Australia – Australia's Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Industry Growth Centre (MTPConnect) and Biopacific Partners have launched a new program that will work with small Australian biotechs to better prepare them for partnering with big pharma. Read More
KARACHI, Pakistan – Marking a significant step for Pakistan's reborn pharmaceutical industry, a domestic manufacturer received pre-qualification from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the sale of one of its products, moxifloxacin hydrochloride, for use in treating pulmonary infections as part of its tuberculosis program. Read More
HONG KONG – An antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) that induces skipping of exon 53 has been shown to have a favorable safety profile and promising pharmacokinetics in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in a Japanese phase I trial. That warrants further study of the ASO in a phase II study, researchers led by Shin'ichi Takeda, director of the Department of Molecular Therapy National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP) in Tokyo, reported April 18, 2018, in Science Translational Medicine. Read More
SUZHOU, China – It is a tradition at the annual ChinaBio Partnering Conference that Greg Scott, event founder and organizer, kicks things off with a slideshow to walk participants – biotech and med-tech entrepreneurs, venture capital investors and big pharma – through an impressive China money story. The numbers can surprise even Scott, who has been bearing witness and contributing to the industry's growth for the last decade. Read More
Epimab Biotherapeutics Inc., of Shanghai, licensed the rights to its Fabs-In-Tandem Immunoglobulin program, FIT-012/TRS-008, in the Chinese market to Zhejiang Teruisi Biopharmaceutical Inc., of Huzhou, China. Epimab is eligible to receive an up-front payment and total success-based milestones of up to $21 million plus royalties on FIT-012/TRS-008, a bispecific antibody to undisclosed targets. Epimab has rights to use data generated by Zhejiang Teruisi in partnering discussions outside of China for an undisclosed share of its net receipts. Read More