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China-based Everest Medicines (HKG: 1952) has announced that the company has achieved the preclinical proof-of-concept milestone for its mRNA rabies vaccine program. This new vaccine candidate for rabies post-exposure prophylactic was developed in partnership with Providence Therapeutics Holdings Inc., using a clinically validated mRNA technology platform. It can be used…
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Singapore-based Alternative Bio Inc. has announced the completion of a seed financing round at USD 15 million, co-led by Eight Roads Ventures with F-Prime Capital and Sequoia China Seed Fund. The proceeds will be used to leverage an innovative discovery platform and advance the company’s lead drug candidates to treat…
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Shanghai Pharmaceuticals (HKG: 2607, SHA: 601607), Shanghai Biomedical Frontier Industry Innovation Center Co., Ltd, and Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks (HKSTP) announced a partnership to promote a biomedicine cultivation program in the HKSTP. No financial details were disclosed. Program Objectives and SupportThe program aims to attract the world’s top…
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China-based online pharmacy 111 Inc. (NASDAQ: YI) reportedly initiated online retail sales of Pfizer Inc.’s oral COVID-19 therapy Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir, ritonavir) in China. The price for one box covering a single course of treatment was set at RMB 2,980 (USD 428.23). 111 later released a statement noting that the drug…
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China-based Biosion Inc. announced an exploratory research collaboration to create antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of cancer with US firm ImmunoGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGN). Biosion will leverage its proprietary SynTracer high-throughput (HT) endocytosis platform to generate highly selective antibodies to targets allocated by each company, and ImmunoGen will provide…
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UK-headquartered Abcam plc. and China-based Wuxi Diagnostics have expanded their partnership to dive deep into the companion diagnostics (CDx) field. No financial details were disclosed. Abcam’s Role in Life Science ResearchAbcam is a global life science company supporting customers at the forefront of life science research, and is engaged in…
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Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc. (HKG: 2696) announced a strategic partnership with Suzhou-based Medilink Therapeutics, obtaining global development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights to antibody conjugate drugs (ADCs) based on the latter’s ADC technology platform, focusing on two designated, undisclosed targets. No financial details were revealed. Medilink’s ADC TechnologyMedilink Therapeutics boasts the…
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Suzhou-based Ascentage Pharma (HKG: 6855) unveiled preliminary data from the global Phase II clinical study for its APG-2575, alone or combined with Calquence (acalabrutinib) plus rituximab, in recurrent/refractory (R/R) chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). The results were released at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting this…
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China-based Lifetech Scientific Corporation (HKG: 1302) announced that all patients have been enrolled in a prospective, multi-center, randomized controlled Phase II clinical study for its IBS absorbable drug-eluting coronary stent system in China. Study Design and ResultsThe study, expected to involve upwards of 40 clinical centers across the country, is…
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The National Health Commission website indicates that the COVID-19 Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council released the COVID-19 Vaccination Second Booster Shot Plan. Plan Details and Target GroupsThe document points out that at this stage, a second round of booster shots can be carried out among high-risk…
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ImmuneOnco Biopharmaceuticals (Shanghai) Co., Ltd announced receiving clinical trial approval from the US FDA for its IMM2520, a bispecific antibody (BsAb) targeting CD47 and PD-L1 in solid tumors. Mechanism of Action and Preclinical ResultsIMM2520, featuring functional IgG1 Fc, can activate macrophages and T cells simultaneously by targeting CD47 and PD-L1…
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China-based vaccine maker Jiangsu Recbio Technology Co., Ltd (HKG: 2179) announced the positive results of a Phase II clinical study for its recombinant COVID-19 vaccine ReCOV in the Philippines as a sequential booster shot. The results showed that ReCOV as a sequential booster shot was superior to mRNA vaccine in…
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China-based Treadwell Therapeutics presented results of the company’s CFI-400945 program, a first-in-class inhibitor of Polo-like Kinase 4 (PLK4), a critical regulator of centriole duplication, at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting. The poster presentation described the preliminary results from the monotherapy dose optimization portion of the TWT-202…
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Shanghai-based cryoablation treatment specialist Cryofocus Medtech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd’s in-house developed Cryofocus RDN System, a cryoablation renal denervation product, has obtained breakthrough therapy designation (BTD) status from the US FDA for use in refractory hypertension. Regulatory Milestones and InnovationsThe Cryofocus RDN System, the first of its kind globally, previously passed…
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The Beijing Municipal Health Commission formulated and released the “COVID-19 infection drug list” (first edition), seeking to alleviate drug stocking issues prompted by the concerns around surging cases in the wake of China dropping all COVID-19 control measures in recent days. Drug List DetailsThe list complements the 9th edition of…
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China-based dermatology specialist Cutia Therapeutic announced plans to make an initial public offering (IPO) to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Company Background and PipelineFounded in 2019, Cutia Therapeutic boasts a pipeline consisting of 11 products with great market potential, covering hair disease and hair care, skin disease and skin care,…
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The State Council released a notification in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking to ramp up Internet medical services as previous lockdown conditions have been unilaterally lifted across the country in the past few days. The key takeaways include: Online Prescriptions and Drug DeliveryMedical institutions (including Internet hospitals and medical…
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China-based Asieris Pharmaceuticals (SHA: 688176) announced the first patient enrollment in a Phase II clinical study for its oral drug candidate APL-1202 in combination with the PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab as a neoadjuvant therapy for muscular invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The open-label, multi-center Phase I/II clinical study is designed to evaluate…
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China-based urogenital cancer specialist Jiangsu Yahong Meditech Co., Ltd (Asieris, SHA: 688176) announced the first patient administration of Hexvix (hexyl aminolevulinate hydrochloride) in the Lecheng medical pilot zone in Hainan province. Hexvix is an optical imaging agent used to perform Blue Light Cystoscopy to detect carcinoma of the bladder for…
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China-based Ascletis Pharma Inc., (HKG: 1672) announced the positive topline results from its Phase I multiple ascending dose (MAD) study (NCT05523141) in healthy subjects for the oral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor ASC10 being developed as treatment for COVID-19. The Phase I data demonstrated that all doses of ASC10, including…