Selecta Biosciences Inc. joined a licensing agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to develop AAV-driven gene therapies for two lysosomal storage disorders that could bring Watertown, Mass.-based Selecta up to $1.124 billion. The payments depend upon hitting development or commercial milestones. Selecta is also receiving an undisclosed up-front payment and is eligible for tiered royalties on commercial sales. Read More
Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd., its U.S.-based subsidiary Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have inked a global collaboration agreement to jointly advance four new compounds for serious neuropsychiatric conditions. Sunovion granted Otsuka rights to collaboratively develop and commercialize the four compounds worldwide. In return, Sunovion will receive an up-front payment of $270 million and up to $620 million in development milestone payments for the agents, with the potential for more depending on additional indications. It could also receive sales milestones from Otsuka. Read More
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. have negotiated a geographically-focused licensing deal to develop and commercialize JR-141 (pabinafusp alfa), a potential therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis type II, also known as Hunter syndrome. Read More
PERTH, Australia – Cynata Therapeutics Ltd. has regained rights to its Cymerus mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product, CYP-001, for graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) from former licensee Fujifilm Corp., with the two companies negotiating a new partnership under which Fujifilm will manufacture the product. Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed India’s pharmaceutical and medical device industries towards the more widespread use of blockchain as part of a significant digital transformation effort underpinned by growing use of the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning (ML) and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Read More
In addition to the four COVID-19 vaccines it has provisionally approved, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is recommending that two more vaccines – Sinovac Biotech Ltd.’s Coronavac and Astrazeneca plc-Serum Institute of India’s Covishield – be considered “recognized vaccines.” Read More
When the SARS-CoV-2 virus first emerged in the U.S., the knee-jerk reaction by biopharma researchers was to make the best vaccines and therapeutics possible and to do so quickly. Read More
Cell therapy developer Cellular Biomedicine Group Inc. (CBMG) completed a $120 million series A financing, its first since becoming a private company. The funds will benefit the U.S. and China-based firm’s CAR T pipeline. Read More
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s Alofisel (darvadstrocel) to treat complex perianal fistulas in patients with non-active or mildly active luminal Crohn’s disease. This marks the first allogeneic stem cell therapy to be greenlighted in the country. Read More
Clinical updates from Asia, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Amgen, Anheart, Aslan, Astrazeneca, Blue Lake, Cstone, Cyanvac, Ena Respiratory, Genfleet, Hanmi, Harbour Biomed, Hua Medicine, I-Mab, Innovent Biologics, JW, Kyowa Kirin, Laurent, Merck, Nrx, Pfizer, Pulmotect, RDIF, Regeneron, Ribomic, Ridgeback, Roche, Senhwa, Todos Medical, Trevena, VBI Vaccines. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: AB Science, Aim Immunotech, Astellas, Astrazeneca, Basilea, Biontech, Eisai, Everest Medicines, Glenmark, Humanigen, I-Mab, Immunoforge, JW, Kintor, Lipidor, Liscure, Moderna, Pfizer, Takeda, Transcenta, Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma. Read More
