Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is progressing mezagitamab to phase III trials after the CD38 monoclonal antibody showed rapid and sustained increases in platelet counts in patients with persistent or chronic primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in a phase IIb trial.
France’s Théa Open Innovation, a subsidiary of Laboratoires Théa SAS, terminated its licensing agreement with South Korea’s Olix Pharmaceuticals Inc., and returned global rights of Olix’s ocular small interfering RNA (siRNA) biologic agents, OLX-301D and OLX-301A.
China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved Dizal Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s golidocitinib for treating adults with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma whose disease has progressed or was refractory to at least one prior systemic therapy.
Aprilbio Co. Ltd. saw its stock surge 30% June 20 after announcing a potential $475 million (₩655.88 billion) deal with Evommune Inc. for autoimmune disease drug candidate APB-R3.
Innovent Biologics Inc.’s glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor and glucagon receptor dual agonist, mazdutide, saw 80% reduction in liver fat content in patients with more than 10% liver fat content in the phase III Glory-1 obesity trial.
Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd announced it will buy out partner Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc. for up to HKD$5.4 billion (US$691.7 million), according to a joint announcement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Suzhou, China-headquartered Ascentage Pharma Group Corp. Ltd. has filed plans for a confidential IPO to the U.S. SEC for a potential dual listing on both the U.S. and Hong Kong stock exchanges. News of the U.S. IPO came just a few days after Ascentage drew a $75 million equity investment from Osaka, Japan-headquartered Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. with the issuance of about 24.3 million shares at a purchase price of HK$24.09 (US$3.08) per share.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has signed an option agreement to in-license Ascentage Pharma Group Inc.’s olverembatinib, an oral third-generation BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). If exercised, the option would allow Takeda to license exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize olverembatinib in all territories outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Russia.
Opthea Ltd. announced it plans to raise up to AU$227.3 million (US$150 million) to extend its cash runway through the data readout for its two phase III pivotal trials of sozinibercept (OPT-302) in wet age-related macular degeneration.
Chinese artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery firm Quantumpharm Inc., also known as Xtalpi, began trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange June 13, listing under a new special technology listing track that lured it away from an IPO in the U.S.