A year after its $175 million IPO in 2024, Arrivent Biopharma Inc. picked up rights to develop and commercialize Lepu Biopharma Co. Ltd.’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate, MRG-007, worldwide excluding the greater China region.

After raising AU$16.75 million (US$10.4 million) in a series A round, Celosia Therapeutics Pty Ltd. is heading toward the clinic with its novel gene therapy that targets TDP-43, a protein directly linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology.

Zhongzhi Pharmaceutical Holdings Ltd. made a $3 million investment in a series A financing round of stem cell therapy developer Gabaeron Inc. Dec. 21, expected to help propel Gabaeron’s preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) candidate into phase I testing.

Kaken Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s license agreement with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)6 inhibitor KP-723 could presage further deals in STAT6, where a number of developers are active. Kaken’s arrangement with J&J involves the global development, manufacturing and sale of KP-723, which has reached the preclinical stage. Tokyo-based Kaken will take the drug through phase I trials, after which J&J takes over.

Dewpoint Therapeutics Inc. and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. have entered a research collaboration worth up to $480 million to advance Dewpoint’s novel TDP-43 small-molecule condensate modulator for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Under terms of the deal, Boston-based Dewpoint will receive an undisclosed up-front payment and is eligible to receive R&D-based milestone payments up to $480 million. Upon reaching those milestones, Osaka, Japan-based MTPC will have an exclusive option to license the program and assume responsibility for global clinical development and commercialization. Dewpoint will also receive tiered royalties on net sales.

Our immune cells are not just “defenders” against deadly viruses and pathogens but also a great balancer for tissue homeostasis. For neurological disorders, understanding the neuro-immune axis could be key to treating previously untreatable conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, according to Jun R. Huh, professor of immunology at Harvard Medical School.

Arovella Therapeutics Ltd. is heading toward the clinic with its lead product, ALA-101, which consists of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD19 and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells.

Radiopharmaceutical company Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has inked a deal worth up to AU$264 million (US$171 million) to license and develop next-generation radiopharma imaging and therapy technology targeting fibroblast activation proteins found in a wide range of cancers.

Endometriosis has been woefully under-recognized in the medical community, and consequently, the delay between onset and diagnosis is often quite long, with some women waiting up to 12 years for a diagnosis. Endometriosis affects about 10% of women, and about 190 million women worldwide live with endometriosis.

As China rises to second place, next only to the U.S., for innovative new drugs, a new report by Clarivate – A Decade of Innovation, A Decade to Come – outlines key policy reforms and regulatory, R&D and investment trends driving past and future growth of Chinese biopharmaceuticals.