HONG KONG – Shanghai-based Cellular Biomedicine Group Inc. (CBMG), having gotten its start in autologous stem cells has strengthened its position in another area of regenerative cellular therapy, cancer immuno-oncology, with the acquisition of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) technology and data from the People's Liberation Army General Hospital (PLAGH) in Beijing. Read More

HONG KONG – South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has approved the country's first tissue-specific osteoarthritis drug, which its manufacturer hopes will soon grab 10 percent of the Korean arthritis market. Read More

TAIPEI, Taiwan – As the momentum surrounding high-growth Asian markets seemingly slows, the standing of Taiwan as an innovation and financing center for biotech interests is still strong, at least on the basis of regional comparison. But while public capital markets are vibrant and local valuations high, big international investors remain largely elusive. So say speakers at the Biologics World Taiwan 2015 conference. Read More

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Biologic drugs are so difficult to make that they are almost impossible to counterfeit, but that does not mean that they are immune to the onslaught of fake products. And yet clamping down on fake biologics can be hard and expensive to do, not to mention that simply identifying fake products after they have been used can be quite difficult. Read More

SHANGHAI – Hua Medicine Ltd.'s sinogliatin, a fourth-generation glucokinase activator (GKA), looks set to prove it has overcome the issues of past GKAs to provide 24-hour glucose control in diabetics with the potential to improve pancreatic beta cell function. Read More

HONG KONG – A highly potent small-molecule inhibitor designed by Korean scientists has been shown both in vivo and in vitro to be a promising candidate treatment for breast cancer that preferentially targets both breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) and bulk tumor cells, thereby potentially reducing the chances of relapse. Read More

HONG KONG – As Genor Biopharma Co. Ltd. prepares to move forward with clinical trials for biosimilar Remicade (infliximab, Johnson & Johnson) along a traditional regulatory pathway, regulators in China are still considering an approval pathway specific to biosimilars. While such a pathway would be welcome, it may not necessarily translate into faster approval times. Read More

Biogen Idec Biotech India Pvt. Ltd., of Haryana, India, gained Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) approval, the first oral therapy approved in the country to treat people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosi (MS). The company said it plans to launch the therapy in the Indian market in the second week of February. Read More

Spinifex Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd., of Preston, Victoria, Australia, appointed Peter Spargo senior vice president, chemistry, manufacturing and controls (SVP CMC), and Christine (Chris) Richardson director, CMC and nonclinical project manager. Spargo has been involved in pharmaceutical R&D for more than 25 years. Read More