Astrazeneca plc is investing $15 billion in China through 2030 to expand R&D and manufacturing, marking one of the largest long-term investments by a multinational pharma company in the country. The U.K.-based company also struck a deal worth up to $3.5 billion with China’s CSPC Pharmaceuticals Group Ltd. to accelerate the development of next-generation therapies for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Read More

Genentech Inc. is paying $200 million up front and up to $1.5 billion in milestone payments to license one of Suzhou Sanegene Bio Inc.’s RNAi programs. Metabolic and autoimmune-focused Sanegene did not disclose specifics around the licensed candidate, except that it was derived from its LEAD (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery) platform. Read More

For years, Japan’s “drug lag” was shorthand for slow regulatory reviews and delayed approvals compared with the U.S. and Europe. But even as regulatory timelines have shortened, review capacity has expanded and international alignment has improved, Japanese patients still face gaps in access to innovative drugs. Read More

Sciwind Biosciences Co. Ltd. said Jan. 30 it won Chinese approval for self-developed glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, ecnoglutide (Xianyida), to treat adults with type 2 diabetes. Read More

Lixa Pty Ltd. has formed a partnership with the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership and announced a AU$28 million (US$20 million) series B round to take Neox-121 to the clinic to fight antimicrobial resistance. Read More

Elevar Therapeutics Inc. appointed Kim Dong-gun (DG) as CEO Jan. 29, as the company focuses on post-NDA strategies for lirafugratinib in bile duct cancer, and the twice-rejected rivoceranib-camrelizumab combination for liver cancer. Read More

Amgen Inc. quit a development deal with Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd., returning global rights for rocatinlimab, Kyowa Kirin’s T-cell rebalancing therapy being investigated for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Read More

Google Deepmind is shedding light on the dark genome with its latest AI model, which is trained to decipher the 98% of DNA that does not code for proteins. Alphagenome is designed to predict how variants in the regulatory genome exert their effects on the expression of the genes they control. Read More

Beginning Feb. 2, 2026, medical technology news and analysis will be integrated into BioWorld, where curated coverage will continue as part of BioWorld’s core reporting. Read More

Clinical updates from Asia-Pacific, including data readouts and publications: Innocare, Jyong, Kazia. Read More

Biopharma happenings in Asia-Pacific including deals and partnerships, and other news in brief: Alps Group, Amgen, Bayer, BNC Korea, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chia Tai Feng Hai, Formation, Hanchorbio, Hanmi, Hetero Group, Insilico Medicine, Kyowa Kirin, Laboratorios Sanfer, Leios Therapeutics, Lisata, Mesoblast, MS Pharma, Poxel, Qilu, Regeneron, Samsung Bioepis, Simcere, Wuxi. Read More

Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: Almirall, Bioarctic, Biogen, Drug Farm, Eisai, Huahui, Otsuka, Quoin. Read More