PERTH, Australia – During the COVID-19 pandemic, 90% of Australia’s clinical trials were put on hold, and the market cap of biotech and medical device companies on the Australian Securities Exchange dropped 5% to AU$11 billion (US$7.78 billion), according to a recent report by Australia’s Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Industry Growth Centre. Read More

HONG KONG – La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland-based Rhizen Pharmaceuticals SA has agreed to license its dual PI3K delta and gamma inhibitor tenalisib (RP-6530) to Shanghai-based Curon Biopharmaceutical Ltd. for as much as $149.5 million, inclusive of an upfront payment of undisclosed value and potential milestone payouts. Read More

LONDON – The world’s first COVID-19 human challenge trial is due to start in London next year, after the government announced £33.6 million (US$43.5 million) funding for the project. Read More

HONG KONG – Yongin, South Korea-based Rznomics Inc. is on track to develop adenoviruses for gene therapies, after signing a clinical and commercial agreement with Cologne, Germany based-Cevec Pharmaceuticals GmbH. The partnership will use the German company’s Cap technology to manufacture the adenoviruses, while the therapies, targeting various cancer indications, will be developed using Rznomics’ trans-splicing ribozyme technology. Read More

Chinese biotech startup Affamed Therapeutics Ltd., funded by CBC Group, has merged with biopharmaceutical company Everinsight Therapeutics Inc., five days after it licensed in a dopamine agonist, KDT-3594, for Parkinson's disease from Japan’s Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Read More

DUBLIN – The Lancet Infectious Diseases has published the first clinical data on BBIBP-CorV, an inactivated whole virus vaccine directed against SARS-CoV-2. The early stage phase I/II study tested the Chinese-developed vaccine in 540 healthy volunteers, including 96 older participants. Read More

LONDON – COVID-19 research is generating a wealth of data every day, but it is coming from many and disparate sources, making it difficult to assess its quality, dovetail datasets together and decide how to apply it. Read More

The large-scale failure of a handful of drugs repurposed for COVID-19 hasn’t slowed efforts to find existing – and new – therapies as well as vaccines that can fight the pandemic, with research updates continuing to roll out. Read More

Biopharma happenings in Asia-Pacific, such as deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief, including: Akron, Anges, Apellis, Aridis, Aslan, Astellas, Axis, Bioeleven, Dynavax, Emmaus Life Sciences, Entos, Er-kim Ilac, Evotec, Fujitsu, Huadong Medicine, Immunogen, Insilico Medicine, Iota, Kamada, Kazia, Lactiga, Medigen Vaccine Biologics, Novan, Oncimmune, Ono, Peptidream, Personalized Stem Cells, Pharmaessentia, Qihan, Redhill, Samsung Biologics, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, Sidero, SK, Som, Sorrento, SRS Life Sciences, Sunshine, Synairgen, Taisho, Takeda, Telcon RF, Tonix, Transcelerate, Translate, Translate Bio, Vaxart. Read More

Biopharmas in Asia-Pacific raising money in public or private financings, including: Aridis, IMV, Kanaph, Opthea. Read More

New hires and promotions in the biopharma industry in Asia-Pacific, including: Recce Pharmaceuticals. Read More

Clinical updates from Asia, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications, including: Abbvie, Apellis, Apogenix, Arch Biopartners, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eiger, Faron, GNT Pharma, Humanigen, Ionis, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Mesoblast, Nasus Pharma, Neurorx, Pharmamar, Relief, Shionogi, Taiwan Liposome, Vaxart. Read More

Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific, including: Direct Biologics, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Edesa, Eisai, Enlivex, Gilead Sciences, Immunitybio, Moderna, Prestige, Recce, Sorrento, Tevogen. Read More