Hitgen Ltd., of Chengdu, China, said it entered a drug discovery collaboration with Genentech, of South San Francisco, a member of the Roche group, to identify small-molecule leads against targets of interest to Genentech. Hitgen will receive an undisclosed up-front payment and will be eligible for milestone payments. Read More
HONG KONG – For the past several years, biopharma firms around the globe have been urged to develop a strategy for moving into China, and with good reason. China's pharmaceutical market value is expected to grow from $123 billion in 2017 to $160 billion by 2022, according to management consulting firm L.E.K. Consulting. Read More
NEW DELHI – In a move that could further pave the way for Cipla Ltd., one of India's best-known makers of generics, to tap into the lucrative U.S. market, Invagen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a subsidiary of Mumbai-based Cipla, has entered a two-stage agreement to acquire the specialty hospital business of Avenue Therapeutics Inc. in the U.S. Read More
Australian radiopharma company Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced it is acquiring its partner, Belgium-based Advanced Nuclear Medicine Ingredients (Anmi) SA, for roughly A$8.1 million (US$5.9 million) in cash and Telix shares. The move accelerates commercialization of Telix's prostate cancer diagnostic kit, Illumet, in the U.S. and Europe. Read More
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Relatively strong flows of capital and partnerships with global players are helping Asia's biotech sector boom, said speakers at the Asia Pacific Biotech Investment Forum last week. Read More
Marking its first regulatory win in the U.S. blood cancer space, Tokyo's Astellas Pharma Inc. has secured approval from the FDA for its oral acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapy, Xospata (gilteritinib). Already approved in Japan, the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitor is now approved in the U.S. for the treatment of relapsed or refractory AML patients who test positive for the mutation, which is often associated with increased risk of relapse and poor survival. Read More
LONDON – He Jiankui has faced up to critics and defended his work in creating what are claimed to be the world's first CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited babies. Read More
HONG KONG – Jiankui He, the Chinese scientist under the spotlight following his claim of the first gene editing use in human embryos, apologized for what he called the unexpected leak of information and defended his controversial trial during the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing. Read More
TAIPEI, Taiwan – How to attract capital is a well-trod theme in the biopharma sector, but the best investors bring more than just money to the table, speakers noted during the Asia Pacific Biotech Investment Forum last week. The right kind of business know-how could help turn a company with a good idea and solid research into a unicorn, a startup with a valuation of $1 billion. Read More
