Nanjing, China-based Simcere Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. became the second Chinese player to seek assets from G1 Therapeutics Inc., of Research Park Triangle, N.C., this year. On Tuesday, it licensed trilaciclib, an intravenous CDK4/6 inhibitor, from G1 Therapeutics in a $170 million deal for Greater China rights. Read More
HONG KONG – Incheon, South Korea-based Celltrion Inc. is rapidly advancing CT-P59, its antiviral antibody treatment for the COVID-19 virus, after receiving its second green light to begin phase I trials. Read More
NEW DELHI – If India’s government has its way, the country could launch a vaccine for COVID-19 in mid-August, an extremely short deadline that has caused controversy and pushed companies to speed up their development and the trials of prospective vaccines. Read More
Chinese biosimilar maker Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc. won EMA approval for its Zercepac, a biosimilar to Roche Holding AG’s Herceptin (trastuzumab) on July 28. Henlius CEO Scott Liu told BioWorld that Zercepac will be the first Chinese monoclonal antibody biosimilar to enter the EU market, setting a precedent for Chinese drugmakers seeking to join the global race in biosimilars. Read More
Universities in China’s Greater Bay Area have developed a recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein vaccine candidate that has shown promise against COVID-19, researchers said Monday. Read More
Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc., a NASH specialist based in San Francisco and Shanghai, has out-licensed the Greater China rights of its BCR-ABL inhibitor, TRN-000632, for treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) to Chinese pharma giant Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. to move the preclinical oncology asset to the clinic faster. Read More
Senhwa Biosciences Inc., of Taipei, Taiwan, said casein kinase 2 (CK2) is the right target to aim at when developing a COVID-19 therapeutic treatment. The company’s silmitasertib is the only clinical-stage inhibitor of CK2, a kinase recently identified by researchers as being hijacked by SARS-CoV-2. Read More
HONG KONG – California-based Iacta Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Hong Kong-based Zhaoke Ophthalmology Pharmaceutical Ltd. have inked a definitive license agreement for two of Iacta’s products. Read More
The latest global regulatory news, changes and updates affecting biopharma, including: Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency, Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. Read More
Clinical updates from Asia, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications, including: AI, Ampio, Ascentage, Cerecor, Clarity, Cytodyn, Hutchison China Meditech, Immunic, Moderna, Opthea. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific, including: Apogenix, Ascletis, Aytu Bioscience, Calidi, Celltrion, Direct Biologics, Edesa, Eisai, Merck, Foresee, Hutchison China Meditech, Poxel, Sumitomo Dainippon, Realta Life Sciences, Relief, Neurorx, Revive, Sound, Takeda, Teva. Read More
