ABL Bio Inc. announced April 7 that it sealed a potential £2.075 billion (US$2.65 billion) license deal with GSK plc, granting GSK global rights to use ABL’s blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetrating bispecific antibody platform, Grabody-B, to develop multiple programs in the neurodegenerative disease arena. Under the terms signed April 5, ABL agreed to transfer Grabody-B-related technology and know-how to GSK, upon which GSK will assume responsibility for preclinical and clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization. Read More
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on April 8 cleared Barythrax injection (GC-1109) as the world’s first recombinant anthrax vaccine. The product was codeveloped by GC Biopharma Corp. and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Read More
China approved 48 first-in-class innovative drugs, as well as a significant number of medications for pediatric and rare diseases, thanks to measures aimed at enhancing review efficiency and accelerating patient access to novel therapies, according to a report released by China’s National Medical Products Administration. Read More
Beigene Ltd. said it is shutting down development of its anti-TIGIT antibody, ociperlimab (BGB-A1217), after the humanized IgG1-variant monoclonal antibody failed a phase III trial in lung cancer. The move is one of many in a string of anti-TIGIT immunotherapy failures. Read More
Following news of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 10% across-the-board tariffs on Australian exports to the U.S., Australia’s Securities Exchange shed nearly AU$55 billion in losses Thursday morning. Even so, pharmaceuticals have escaped the tariffs for now. In China, Trump’s tariffs are not a big concern for China’s health care because drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients are exempted from the tariffs. Even if tariffs are imposed in the future, Chinese pharmaceutical companies have already significantly de-risked themselves in recent months by increasing out-licensing models with U.S. partners. Read More
Radiopharmaceuticals, including 16α-18F-fluoro-17β-estradiol (18F-FES) PET/CT, are emerging as powerful tools with new diagnostic and therapeutic potential in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, Han Sang-won, professor from the department of nuclear medicine at Asan Medical Center, recently told BioWorld. Read More
Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd. announced that it will sell off two more of its subsidiaries, Sumitomo Pharma (China) Co. Ltd. and Sumitomo Pharma Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (and their subsidiaries), to Marubeni Global Pharma Corp. April 1, as the Japanese pharma continues restructuring efforts from last year. Read More
Nissan Chemical Corporation and Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho Co. Ltd. (SKK) have entered an agreement to codevelop SK-2407/SN-001 for the treatment of dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) in Japan. Read More
Biopharma companies secured $3.82 billion across 81 public and private financings in March 2025, marking a 28% increase from the $2.98 billion raised through 59 transactions in February. Read More
The biopharma sector is still trying to get its wind and resume its once-powerful investment ways. Medical technology has sidestepped much of biopharma’s issues by being more flexible along the development path, according to BioWorld MedTech Editor Annette Boyle in this edition of the podcast. Boyle described the current financing climate on the newest BioWorld Insider podcast and explained why the sector is performing well year to date.
Biopharma happenings in Asia-Pacific including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Beigene, Biogen, Bio-Thera, Casi, Organon. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: Astrazeneca, Moderna, Mesoblast, Otsuka, Yingli. Read More
