HONG KONG – In late May, the China National Drug Administration (CNDA), along with four other bodies, published the list of rare diseases that includes 121 indications, with the aim of encouraging research and development of orphan drugs and speeding up their marketing in China, all the while making those drugs more affordable for patients. Read More
China Biologic Products Holdings Inc., of Beijing, appointed Bing Li CEO. Li has been a member of the board since July 25 and previously served on the board from February 2011 to May 2014. Read More
Modulus Discovery Inc., of Tokyo, raised a total of ¥800 million (US$7.2 million) in a series A round led by Fast Track Initiative Inc. and joined by Peptidream Inc. and DBJ Capital Co. Ltd., the venture capital subsidiary of Development Bank of Japan. The company plans to use the capital to fund its computational platform and efficient virtual pharma operating model, including accelerating its collaborative drug discovery research programs with Peptidream. Read More
Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd. is expected to begin commercializing its CCR4-targeting monoclonal antibody in the U.S. in the fourth quarter, after winning the FDA's nod Wednesday for use in two types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including Sezary syndrome (SS), for which it becomes the first approved therapy. Read More
HONG KONG – Chinese firm Cure Genetics Co. Ltd., of Suzhou, has secured $17 million in series A financing to advance its gene-editing and delivery platform to treat easy-to-relapse or hard-to-treat cancers and genetic diseases. Read More
HONG KONG – In a $120 million deal focused on the greater China region, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. joined hands with China's Harbour Biomed Therapeutics Ltd. to co-develop the U.S. company's bispecific antibody (bsAb), GBR-1302, for treating HER2-positive cancers, including breast, gastric and ovarian cancers. Read More
A collaborative study by Harvard University and Chinese researchers has identified a previously unrecognized and clinically prevalent class of Mycobacterium tuberculosis variants that alter propionate metabolism and mediate multidrug tolerance, thereby driving drug resistance. Read More
PERTH, Australia – Drug development is a risky business, and no one knows that better than U.S. Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), who likely won't forget how a failed clinical trial at Aussie biotech Innate Immunotherapeutics Ltd. last June ultimately ended his political career. But the thrifty little biotech isn't losing any sleep over Collins. It had already acquired some new assets and was readying them for the clinic when news broke that Collins was indicted for insider trading as a fallout from that failed trial. Read More
HONG KONG – Chinese biopharma Impact Therapeutics Inc., of Nanjing, has received $30 million in series C financing to advance the clinical development of its lead candidate, IMP-4297, a PARP inhibitor, to treat multiple tumors. Read More
HONG KONG – China's I-Mab Biopharma Co. Ltd. entered a strategic partnering agreement with ABL Bio Inc., of South Korea. I-Mab will out-license its bispecific antibody (BsAb) for an undisclosed target to ABL Bio for about $100 million. Read More
