Taiwan Liposome Co. Ltd., of Taipei, Taiwan, priced an IPO of 3.75 million American depositary shares, each representing two of the firm's common shares, at $5.80 each, raising gross proceeds of about $21.75 million. TLC granted underwriters an option, exercisable at any time through and until one day before the closing date of the offering, to purchase up to 562,500 more depositary shares at the public offering price to cover overallotments. Read More
HONG KONG – Reviews for priority new drugs in Japan in 2017 took the shortest time in five years, amid the drug watchdog's efforts to cut review lag. The review time for priority new drugs in 2017 was 8.9 months, the shortest since 2013, according to a recent report by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). Read More
HONG KONG – Clinical-stage biopharma Taiwanj Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. said its drug candidate, JKB-122, for treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) showed positive results in a 12-week phase II study in Taiwan. Encouraged by those positive results, the company already has plans to push the compound to the next clinical stage in its homeland, with an IND expected to be filed in the second quarter of next year. Read More
BRISBANE, Australia – A "world-first" clinical trial of a new immunotherapy to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) showed improved symptoms and improvement in the quality of life for the majority of patients. Read More
HONG KONG – Iceland biopharmaceutical firm Alvotech ehf has joined hands with Japan's Fuji Pharma Co. Ltd. in a deal to commercialize the former's biosimilar portfolio in Japan. Alvotech will develop and supply a few biosimilars from its product pipeline, while Fuji will work on those products' registration and commercialization in Japan. Fuji injected an investment of undisclosed size into the Iceland firm. Read More
LONDON – There has been widespread condemnation following the claim by a Chinese scientist that he has used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to create the world's first genetically edited babies. Read More
HONG KONG – The lack of cross-border regulations and coordination on genetic editing in general – and gene editing on embryos specifically – has emerged a key concern for industry leaders and regulators and a timely topic at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Read More
