In a surprise reveal that propelled stocks by 25%, Alteogen Inc., of Daejeon, South Korea, named MSD International Business GmbH as its counterpart in a near-$4 billion technology transfer agreement inked in 2020, while upping terms of the deal. Read More
Global interest in radiopharmaceuticals is soaring, and the global radiopharma market is expected to grow 10% over the next decade to $13.67 billion by 2032, according to a new report by Precedence Research. Read More
Kazia Therapeutics Ltd. stopped its two-part paxalisib plus radiotherapy phase I trial early based on positive safety and promising clinical responses in patients with phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway mutation brain metastases from solid tumors. The company plans to meet with the U.S. FDA to discuss a pivotal registrational trial. Read More
Korean neurodegenerative disease-focused Aribio Co. Ltd. gained the U.K.’s regulatory clearance to start the phase III Polaris-AD trial on AR-1001 (mirodenafil), an investigative therapy for early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency gave notice of acceptance to Seoul, South Korea- and San Diego-based Aribio for the clinical study on Feb. 21 after “confirming a favorable ethical opinion,” Aribio said. AR-1001 is an oral phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor under development to treat early AD. Read More
With the number of people with dementia in Australia expected to nearly double by 2054, the federal government is funding a new AU$50 million (US$32.76 million) biomedical and med-tech incubator program to develop new therapies, medical devices and digital health technologies to address dementia and cognitive decline. Read More
SK Bioscience Co. Ltd. of Seongnam-si, South Korea, gained the World Health Organization’s (WHO) prequalification certification for typhoid conjugate vaccine, Skytyphoid (NBP-618), on Feb. 23. Skytyphoid conjugates a polysaccharide of typhoid bacteria, which serves as an antigen, to a diphtheria toxin protein called diphtheria toxoid that acts as a carrier. Read More
Hun-taek Kim founded Tiumbio Co. Ltd. in 2016 after spending more than two decades at a major chemical and life science firm, SK Chemicals Co. Ltd. “The prospects for our three major assets are very bright, and the probability of failure is low,” CEO Kim told BioWorld. Read More
To understand the focus of startup Insamo Inc., one need look no further than its name, which co-founder and CEO Timothy Craven described as “portmanteau of ‘internally satisfied molecules,’” highlighting its efforts to create orally administered and membrane-permeable cyclic peptides across a range of disease areas. Read More
Amid intensifying competition in the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint space, Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd. kicked off a phase I study of SB-27, a biosimilar of Merck & Co Inc.’s blockbuster immunotherapy, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), for lung cancer. Posted on clinicaltrials.gov on Feb. 20, the randomized, double-blind, three-arm, parallel group and multicenter phase I study will examine the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of SB-27 against an EU-sourced and U.S.-sourced Keytruda in 135 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Read More
A China-based manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) suspended producing API for the U.S. market following an FDA inspection that found “significant deviations” from good manufacturing practices at the facility. Read More
Discover a wealth of industry insights with BioWorld’s extensive collection of infographics, covering the latest trends and developments in both biopharma and med-tech. Our weekly infographics are curated to provide concise summaries of key topics: financings (IPOs, private financings, public/other and follow-on offerings), deals and M&As (top deals, and monthly value and volume), regulatory (including U.S. FDA and worldwide approvals), clinical trials and more. In addition, you’ll find access to BioWorld’s year-in-review reports, as well as special infographics about obesity, pain and addiction, biosimilars and the aging space. Read More
Clinical updates from Asia, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: CASI, Cellitrion, Everest, Innovent, Kazia, Mabwell, Neurophth, Simcare. Read More
Biopharma happenings in Asia-Pacific, such as deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Astrazeneca, Biocytogen, Everest Medicines, Gracell, Gilead Sciences, Hitagen, Hox, Jiangsu Nhwa, Ono, Providence Therapeutics, Sosei Group, Teva Pharmaceutical Investments, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Vernalis. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: Affamed, Astellas, Astrazeneca, Celltrion, Certa, Incannex, Iovance, Jacobio, Mabwell, Otsuka, Sanofi. Read More