Tokyo-based Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. discontinued a phase III trial for nimotuzumab on the recommendation of an independent data monitoring committee after four treatment-related deaths were observed, all in the nimotuzumab arm. Read More
HONG KONG – Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) researchers report being unable to replicate controversial research purporting to create stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotent (STAP) stem cells, which behave like induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, by simple acid-based treatment of somatic cells, suggesting that the method is not as simple or straightforward as initially claimed. Read More
Japanese firm Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd. completed phase I trials for resminostat – licensed from German firm 4SC AG – in solid tumors, as the partners hope to move forward with the target indication of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan, where liver cancer is one of the largest causes of cancer-related death. Read More
HONG KONG – Four years after it was sidelined, a pentavalent vaccine produced by the Indian arm of Sanofi Pasteur (the vaccine division of Sanofi SA) – Shantha Biotechnics Ltd. – received prequalification status from the World Health Organization. The prequalification means that United Nations agencies like UNICEF can now purchase the vaccine for use across its programs, mostly in emerging countries. Read More
HONG KONG – A Japanese research institute has closed a controversial chapter in its history by refusing to reinvestigate misconduct by a high-profile scientist and has set up a committee of outside experts to suggest future steps to prevent fraud. Read More
HONG KONG – The U.S. FDA has, for the first time ever, approved the use of a biologic product made by a Chinese company in U.S. investigational new drug trials. Read More
SUZHOU, China – Venture investing in China's life sciences industry continued a three-year upswing in 2013, according to speakers at the Chinabio Partnering Forum, with more than $1 billion in publicly disclosed deals last year. Cynics might correctly argue the amount represents just a fraction of the annual R&D budget of a single large pharma. Still, the steady rise in venture capital (VC) – much of it homegrown – represents another key indicator that China is building a sustainable life sciences ecosystem. Read More
SUZHOU, China – Navigating the obstacle course of China's regulatory system requires strategic thinking, long-term planning, creative problem solving and it doesn't hurt to have deep pockets, according to the experts discussing cross-border approvals at the Chinabio Partnering conference. Read More
India is considering waiving a global patent for cancer drug dasatanib under provisions of the country's Patent Act that allow it to make the move for public noncommercial use. Read More
SUZHOU, China – "Innovation" is a prominent theme in China's life sciences community, but for all the talk about the need to move from generics to novel drugs, focusing on the science without generating results is a wasted effort. That, in short, is a key message emerging from Chinese life science executives and research leaders at the Chinabio Partnering Forum. Read More
Gloria Pharmaceuticals Co., of Beijing, and Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Nashville, Tenn., formed a joint R&D initiative. Each company has made a $1 million investment in Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET), which is majority-owned by Cumberland and partnered with academic research centers to develop promising biopharmaceutical technologies. Read More
