PERTH, Australia – Australian biotech company Clinical Genomics Pty Ltd., of Sydney, will be able to dramatically expand the U.S. footprint of its liquid biopsy diagnostic to detect recurrent colon cancer following a new pact with the Netherlands-based Qiagen NV for its Paxgene blood collection system. Read More

HONG KONG – China has for several years stood out as the major emerging market for multinational pharmaceutical companies, and it will likely continue to do so with deeper, widespread reform expected to improve the pharmaceutical and health care industry in the near future. Read More

The implantation of dopaminergic neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has for the first time been shown to restore nerve function and improve movement in monkey models of Parkinson's disease (PD), in a new Japanese study. Read More

Just weeks ahead of the planned resubmission of the FDA new drug application for a pain pill tailored to reduce opioid-induced nausea and vomiting (OINV), one-time backer Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. handed rights to the drug back to Charleston Laboratories Inc. and booked a ¥27.8 billion (US$252.7 million) loss on the project as it reevaluates its U.S. pain drug strategy. An NDA submitted for the candidate, CL-108, drew a complete response letter (CRL) in February, though neither company revealed why. Read More

HONG KONG –Tensions have been building in India's pharmaceutical sector as it tries to resolve a tricky dilemma. Stronger intellectual property (IP) protection is needed to sustain the country's rapid economic growth, but that may come at the expense of affordable health care. Read More

HONG KONG – 3Sbio Inc. announced a proposed asset purchase agreement worth $290 million for the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business of Canada's Therapure Biopharma Inc. Read More

SHANGHAI – Innovent Biologics Inc., of Suzhou, has acquired the global rights for a preclinical indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) inhibitor discovered by the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. By adding an IDO candidate to its immuno-oncology pipeline, Innovent aims to increase the effectiveness of its PD-1 candidate currently in phase III studies in partnership with Eli Lilly and Co.. of Indianapolis. Read More

Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, submitted an application with Japanese regulators for Trerief (zonisamide) for the treatment of parkinsonism in dementia with Lewy bodies. The application is based on a 351-patient phase III trial, which showed two different doses of Trerief both produced a statistically significant improvement on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale compared to patients who received placebo. Read More