An Australian study has identified a protein secreted by parasitic hookworms that suppresses asthma in mice, with in vitro tests on cells from asthmatics indicating that the protein is a promising candidate for development of new anti-inflammatory treatments. Read More

MELBOURNE, Australia – The Australian government is injecting more funding into its life sciences sector to help it become more globally competitive in commercializing products. Read More

HONG KONG – Shares of China Resources Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. (HK:3320) sank in their trading debut on Oct. 28 after raising about $1.8 billion in Hong Kong, making it the largest IPO from a drugmaker in Asia this year. Read More

NEW DELHI – While India's tuberculosis (TB) drug industry is generally geared to meet the country's enormous TB burden, which is mainly due to poor patient compliance and multidrug resistance, it is hampered by limited access to high-risk funding and hurdles in regulatory approval. Read More

PERTH, Australia – After completing its IPO in July, Sydney-based Noxopharm Pty Ltd. expects to have the first three clinical trials of its lead compound up and running in the first quarter of 2017. Read More

Novogen Ltd., of Sydney, has acquired Glioblast Pty Ltd., a privately held, neuro-oncology-focused Australian biotechnology company, to support development of GDC-0084, a small-molecule inhibitor of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway newly licensed from Basel, Switzerland-based Roche AG's Genentech Inc. Read More

SUZHOU, China – Ruyi He, chief scientist of the CFDA and the Centre for Drug Evaluation (CDE), outlined the government's commitment to streamline and speed up the review process for innovative drugs, sharing support for more dynamic communication between reviewers and sponsors. He joined the CFDA/CDE in July after more than a decade with the U.S. FDA. Read More

It was hardly rocket science that Jupiter moon-named Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG's claudin 18.2-targeting antibody – the one that created so much buzz at this year's American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting – would draw big pharma's top cancer players to the table. And Tokyo-based winner Astellas Pharma Inc.'s potential $1.4 billion takeover, with €422 million (US$461.3 million) up front plus another €860 million if progress milestones are met, gets not only the IMAB362 antibody but also Claudetect 18.2, an in vitro diagnostic for the biomarkers in patients most likely to be helped. Read More